Description

Probably late 17th century with earlier 19th century and later alterations and additions. 2-storey and attic, 3-bay, crowstep gabled laird's house. Random sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings, later architraves to windows to front, strip pilasters; rendered side elevations. Rendered base course. Crowstepped gables with beaked skewputts.

N ELEVATION: widely spaced bays. 19th century door surround with cornice at centre; panelled door and letterbox fanlight. Wrought-iron lamp bracket and lantern. Window to right, bipartite to left (with relieving arch above original single window) and regular fenestration to 1st floor. 2 canted dormers with modern glazing and finials. Door to covered passage leading to outbuilding to outer left.

S ELEVATION: projecting stair tower at centre with stair window, raised to break eaves in 19th century with decoratively finialled roof. Window flanking to right; modern conservatory addition to left (boarded with multi-pane glazing), masking earlier door with stop-chamfered surround; regular fenestration to 1st floor windows of outer bays. Later, single flue stack to left corner.

E ELEVATION: adjoined by single storey service area extending to ancilliary structures to S and formerly level with neighbouring property to E (evidence of which in boundary wall, see below) Blank above.

W ELEVATION: modern addition at ground, circa 1960. Blank above.

Plate glass glazing in timber sash and case windows. Graded grey slates to rear, later purple slates to front. Rendered gablehead stacks with polygonal cans. Cast-iron rooflight to front and 2 to rear. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: outstanding late 17th century panelling, chimneypieces and cornices at 1st floor, allegedly taken from Preston House circa 1900, but possibly original to Athelstane Lodge, comprising fluted pilasters, lugged and shouldered chimneypieces with pulvinated moulding and nailhead details, roll-moulded openings, overmantel panels and cornice-keystones to deep cornices, wall panelling; lugged door surrounds. Panelled shutters. At ground, sections of original plaster cornice interrupted on removal of dividing wall. Architraved door surrounds and simple panelled doors, 1 to hall with flush-panelling, accommodating settlement with non-level lintels. U-plan stone newel stair with quasi-columnar end to dividing wall to hall. Roll-moulded chimneypiece to SE room with circa 1820 classical timber surround.

ANCILLIARY STRUCTURES: running to S at E of house, adjoining boundary wall. Single storey range with half-piended roof and cast-iron rooflights, squared sandstone rubble. W elevation with door to outer left (stop-chamfered surround) and 3-bay cottage to right comprised of door at centre flanked by channelled pilasters with moulded cornices and 2 small windows with leaded, diamond-pane glazing; evidence of former stack to ridge. To S, irregular, flat-roofed and lean-to roofed sheds with later stone walls.

BOUNDARY WALLS: 17th-18th century rubble garden wall to front and rear to E, rising by house to indicate form and position of former neighbour (demolished post-1945) with chimneypiece and ball finial by former ridge line; wall buttressed to E side. Brick walls to S and W. Later rubble wall with flat coping to N front.

Statement of Interest

The interior of Athelstane Lodge is unusually grand, especially the panelling and chimneypieces at 1st floor, allegedly removed from the now ruinous 17th century Preston House. However as they are comparable to those at the similarly modest Ford House, Midlothian, 1680, it is possible that they were designed for the Lodge. Its early form has been adapted and there is evidence of alterations to former openings in the masonry. McNeill explains that the name of the property came from the alleged habitation of Lord Athelstane, Lord of Session. It was certainly once the home of Lord Cullen, another Lord of Session, and father of the future Lord Prestongrange.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17792187

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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