Gordon House (formerly The Cottage), Hillside, Montrose, Angus

Description

Gordon House (formerly The Cottage) is a multi-phase, irregular-plan, detached house with 18^th century origins. It largely comprises a single-storey, cottage orné-style house with basement and attic, dating from around 1820. An earlier, two-storey, brick-built building is located to the east and dates from the 18^th century. It is connected to the 1820s part of the house by a gable-fronted, two-storey extension dating from 1859. There are some later 20^th century additions, including a mono-pitched porch on the front (north) elevation of the main house and a 1980s, single-storey store at the east end of the 18th century range. The walls are harled and painted throughout, with contrasting cills and margins.

Gordon House is located in the village of Hillside near Montrose. The associated former coachhouse, stable and Groom's house (now known as Tower Cottage) is designed in a similar gothick-style cottage orné and is located to the immediate west of the house (listed separately at category B, LB17749). The buildings are separated by a detached garage that dates from 2002.

1820s range: the entrance (north) elevation has twin jerkin-head gables with gothick-style, pointed-arch openings, with tripartite openings to the attic level. There is a mono-pitched entrance porch spanning between the projecting gables that dates from the 1960s, with a replacement entrance door and large flanking windows with fixed 16-pane glazing. The rear (south) elevation has a three-bay, bowed window to the centre and later 20^th century door openings on either side. The piended slate roof has exposed rafter tails to the eaves and a pair of diamond-shaped, ashlar chimneystacks and tall, octagonal clay cans above each of the gables on the north elevation. There are two further chimneystacks to the front and rear ridge, which are rendered with matching cans. The windows on the north elevation are largely latticed with cavetto (concave) surrounds but those to the south elevation are six over six timber sash and case.

The mid-19^th century extension is L-shaped on plan and abuts the east elevation of the 1820s building. The two-storey north and south elevations are gable-fronted. There is a single-storey range to the east, comprising a two-bay mono-pitched range to the north elevation and a single bay to the south elevation with a crenelated parapet. The roof is pitched and slated with exposed rafter tails to the eaves. The windows are largely four over four or six over six timber sash and case.

The 18^th century range abuts the east elevation of mid-19^th century extension. It is rectangular on plan and has regular openings to the two-bay south elevation. The north elevation is blank and is abutted by a mono-pitched porch and additional bay which date from the mid-19^th century extension. The blank east elevation is abutted by a single-storey, pitched-roof addition that was built in the 1980s.

Internally, the 18^th century section has been stripped back to the brickwork and the remaining stone floor slabs and two fireplaces appear to be of an 18^th century date.

Images of the remaining interior have not been seen (2021).

Statement of Interest

Gordon House is a distinctive multi-phase house, designed primarily in a cottage orné style. The cottage orné style was popular for small-scale domestic or estate architecture in Scotland for a short period in the early 19^th century. Surviving examples that retain much of their historic character are quite rare. The style stems from the 18^th century English Romantic period and interest in the Picturesque. It is characterised by decoratively carved bargeboarding and highly decorative gothic-inspired ornamentation (known as 'Gothick').

The symmetrical front elevation of the cottage orné (1820s) section of Gordon House is largely unaltered. It displays distinctive features that are characteristic of the style. These include the pointed arched openings, the lattice-paned glazing, and the twin jerkin-headed gables with the tall, ornamental chimneystacks. The original plan form of the 1820s building remains clearly evident, despite a number of later additions to its footprint.

The two-storey, 18^th century section of the property is built of hand-made clay bricks, which may have been locally sourced as Montrose is historically known for its brick manufacturing industry. The design, brick construction and interior layout of this earlier structure suggests it may have been built as a domestic outbuilding before being incorporated as part of the house when the mid-19^th century extension was built, joining it with the 1820s house. It is plain in architectural terms but the 18^th century range, and the mid-19^th century extension are key components that inform us about the development of the house over time.

The architect of Gordon House and Tower Cottage is unknown. The previous listed building record noted that Gordon House (formerly The Cottage) may have been built as the dower house associated with Hedderwick, a small mansion and estate located nearby, which belonged to Lord Benholme. Census data and historic newspapers indicate Gordon House was in the ownership of the Lyall family from the 1850s to the 1950s.

The Ordnance Survey Name Book of 1857-61 describes Hillside as a village containing detached cottages with gardens and plots of ornamental ground attached (OS1/14/72/17). Gordon House remains a prominent building within the landscape and its associated former coachhouse (LB17749) has similar features of the cottage orné style, showing the functional relationship between the buildings. The use of this style is distinctive within the village and its survival alongside its associated former coachhouse is of special interest.

Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2021. Previously listed as 'The Cottage, Hillside'.

External Links

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