Fern Bank Villa, Claredon Place, Dunblane, Dunblane, Stirling

Entry Name: Fern Bank Villa, Claredon Place, Dunblane

Listing Name: Claredon Place, Fernbank Including Gatepiers and Boundary Wall

Listing Date: 28 October 1976

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 363043

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB26421

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Dunblane, Claredon Place, Fern Bank Villa

ID on this website: 200363043

Location: Dunblane

County: Stirling

Town: Dunblane

Electoral Ward: Dunblane and Bridge of Allan

Traditional County: Perthshire

Tagged with: Architectural structure

Description

1876. 2-storey, 3-bay, rectangular-plan, Italianate villa with 3-stage entrance tower to centre. Yellow sandstone ashlar, squared and snecked sandstone to sides and rear. Base course, dividing band between 1st and 2nd storey. Plain margins to windows with projecting cills. Mutuled barge boarding to overhanging eaves. Stone mullions.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 3-stage, square-plan, entrance tower to centre; stone steps to central semicircular-arched entrance, stopped hoodmould with projecting keystone, 2-leaf, semicircular-arched, timber panelled door. Small, semicircular-arched window to 2nd stage, stopped hoodmould with projecting keystone. Dividing band between 2nd and 3rd stage. Narrow 3rd stage, tripartite windows, continuous cill course. Low pyramidal roof. Gabled bay to left; advanced canted bay, to ground, coped parapet, decorative cast-iron balustrade. Tall, narrow, tripartite, stone mullioned window to 1st floor. Timber brackets supporting heavily projecting, overhanging eaves. Narrow, recessed bay to right; bipartite window to ground, semicircular-arched window to 1st floor, projecting keystone, small stone balcony with decorative cast-iron balustrade.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: advanced, single storey kitchen wing to left, piended roof. Single window to ground of bay to right, semicircular-arched window above.

N (SIDE) ELEVATION: 2-bay, window to ground of bay to left, semicircular-arched window with gable breaking eaves above. Tall, semicircular-arched stair window to right, small square pantry window to ground.

S (SIDE) ELEVATION: 2-bay, bipartite window to bay to left, semicircular-arched window above. Slightly advanced gabled bay to right; Venetian window to ground, tripartite window above, bracketed balcony with decorative, cast-iron balcony.

Plate glass, timber-framed, sash and case windows. Grey slates, lead flashing. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Coped wallhead stacks.

INTERIOR: ornate plasterwork cornices throughout with fern motif to hall and drawing room. Etched glass panel to inner lobby door with fern decoration. Black marble fireplace to present lounge, white marble fireplace to morning room. Timber panelled doors, shutters and dados throughout. Unfurnished, tower room reached through hatch in small, 1st floor study.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALL: square-plan columns, moulded plinths, blind arrowslits to columns, plain paterae to frieze, moulded cornices, ball finials to caps. Squared and tooled, yellow sandstone, coped rubble wall

Statement of Interest

A substantial villa showing the influence of Alexander Thompson, Fernbank was the only villa built in a planned development, to the west of the station, drawn up by the Cromlix estate in 1871. Fernbank was built and originally occupied by a local plumber and his maiden sisters (as a result the villa has Victorian plumbing of an exceptionally high standard) and later home to the Pearson family proprietors of the Stirling Sentinel (now Observer). The Claredon Place section of the boundary wall was lowered by order of Stirling District Council.

External Links

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