Dairy And Carriage House, Gowanbank, Torphichen, West Lothian

Entry Name: Dairy And Carriage House, Gowanbank

Listing Name: Gowan Bank Farmhouse, Steading and Cottage

Listing Date: 8 September 1982

Category: A

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 347932

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB14557

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200347932

Location: Torphichen

County: West Lothian

Electoral Ward: Armadale and Blackridge

Parish: Torphichen

Traditional County: West Lothian

Tagged with: Dairy

Description

FARMHOUSE: Circa 1820 farmhouse, with large irregular

U-plan range added by Sir James Gowans circa 1862. Early

range 2-storey, asymmetrical, 2 bays gabled, 3rd with gabled

head to 1st floor window, door in centre bay with motto

and entwined 'J', Gowans initials in gable, south elevation

simply detailed. Squared whin rubble with ashlar and granite

quoins and dressings; eaves cut-back. 1862 addition, 2

storeys, 3 bays (garage slapped in northern bay; simply

chamfered ground floor windows 3 wall-head dormers, central semi-octagonal and corbelled, outer with deep segmental

hoods. Similarly detailed masonry to both branches of

U, north elevation displaying typical Gowans originality in

each splayed 1st floor angle window. Tall stilted and

hooded dormers to inner faces of U-plan. Tall stacks with

chevron cornice detail.

STEADING & COTTAGE: Sir James Gowans 1842 and 1862.

Steading: simple courtyard type with projections, eg 1842

engine house and barn to south and labourer's cottage.

Typical Gowan's polychromatic whin masonry, lattice grid with

inset quartz banded, rock-faced dressings. Cottage at south

of east range, splayed angle windows with banded jambs,

door recessed under swept pitched roof to west; bold chimney

breast on south wall with corbelled set-offs and pentice

slabs; banded stacks with chevron coping and castellated cans;

some swept dormers, (gabled eastern bay, elaborately corbelled

eaves using stone and timber to same profile). Details

continue in north eastern projection with inscription on

south wall, 1862. Internal details of court very simple with

much later brick work, north range all that survives of

c1820. Slate roofs with some patterning.

Rectangular detached eastern coach house and dairy building,

symmetrical with central door and flanking windows. Large

later opening in north gable. Patterned slate work.

Detached cattle byre, similar details with ventilated

north elevation, elaborated corbelled gable. Slate roof.

Estate bounded by mannered rubble walls with regularly

raised coping; wall stepped. Gatepiers collapsed.

Statement of Interest

Plaque on south face of eastern projecting bay beneath

pentice slab "Heb III.4 For every house is builded by some

man but he that build all

Eccles II4, xi, xii.

1 August 1862".

External Links

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