Crossway House, Torthorwald, Torthorwald, Dumfries and Galloway

Description

Crossway House is a two-storey, three-bay, gabled house of 18^th-19^th century date with a central triangular wall-head pediment and corniced doorway. It is located prominently on the bend in the A709 near Torthorwald Castle (SM731), Torthorwald, Dumfries. The house is of rubble construction (squared and stugged at the second storey) with ashlar dressings and is whitewashed. There is a single-storey outshot, with a gable wall-head stack and pitched slate roof, adjoining the rear (south) elevation. There is also a later, flat-roofed sunroom addition to the rear.

The windows are predominantly timber sash and case windows with a 12-pane glazing pattern. The roof has straight skews, end chimney stacks with clay cans, and a grey slate roof covering. The house is set within a large triangular garden plot. A small section of low boundary wall with castellated coping fronts the A709.

Historical Background

The long-established village of Torthorwald is situated on the main road between Dumfries and Lochmaben. A single storey building on the site of Crossway House was possibly part the parish school in the 18^th century. This building was raised a storey during the early to mid- 19^th century as lodgings for the adjoining school, known then as 'Torthorwald Classical and Commercial Boarding Academy'. A newspaper article from 1850 describes the boarding school as 'spacious and stately' (Dumfries and Galloway Standard, 1850). The building is shown as a school on the 1^st Edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1856) through to the 3^rd Edition (revised 1947). When the adjoining schoolroom was demolished, material from the building may have been used to extend the single storey outshot at the rear of Crossway House.

Statement of Interest

Crossway House, Torthorwald meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

For its authentic and largely intact early to mid- 19^th century architectural character.

For its design detailing including a triangular pediment indicative of its former institutional use as a school boarding house.

For its prominent location and contribution to its historic setting at the centre of the village of Torthorwald.

Architectural Interest

Design

The building has interest for its authentic and largely intact early to mid-19^th century architectural character. The front elevation of the house is symmetrically proportioned, with the upper windows set hard against the eaves, in the early Scots classical vernacular fashion. The triangular wall-head pediment, also derived from classical architecture, indicates its former institutional use as a school boarding house. The stepped arrangement of windows to the rear elevation reflects the siting of the staircase in the plan form. The multi-pane timber sash and case windows add to the authenticity of the building. The single storey, gabled outshot to the rear, and lack of openings to the northeast gable, are in keeping with the character of the house.

The interior plan form appears to remain largely intact (sales particulars, 2016) with a staircase with moulded timber banister set to the rear of the plan. Some rooms have timber panelled doors and timber recesses. The interior decorative scheme otherwise appears to be largely modernised.

Setting

Crossway House has interest for its prominent location and contribution to its historic setting at the centre of the village of Torthorwald. The house is set within a triangular garden plot on a bend in the A706 road at the village High Road crossway near the 12^th to 15^th century remains of Torthorwald Castle and associated earthwork mounds (Scheduled Monument, SM713). The house, on the site of the former parish school, contributes to an understanding of the historic settlement pattern at Torthorwald.

Taking account of the loss of the adjoining school building, the immediate setting of the former boarding house has otherwise changed little since the mid-19^th century. Torthorwald Mill Cottage (LB17152, Category C) is situated opposite Crossway House. Other historic buildings within the village include a rare thatched building called Cruck Cottage (LB17157, Category A) and Torthorwald Parish Church (LB17153, Category B).

Historic Interest

Age and Rarity

Crossway House is a mid- 19^th century house (former school boarding house) with some 18^th century fabric. While domestic buildings of 18^th-19^th century date are not a rare building type in Scotland, the provenance of Crossway House as an early rural boarding school, adds some interest under this heading. The number of former school boarding houses converted to private residences is relatively small.

Social Historical Interest

The well-known Scottish missionary John Gibson Paton (1824–1907) lived in Torthorwald and attended the school here in the 1830s. He writes in his autobiography that it was a school where pupils 'were prepared in Latin, Mathematics and Greek to go straight from their village class to the university bench'. He also claims that a classical tutor called Dr Smith was responsible for adding the boarding house to the school (Paton, 1889).

Listed building record revised in 2021.

External Links

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