Description

Dated 1672 with later alterations. 2 storey and attic L-plan laird's house. Rubble with polished sandstone dressings and margins; chamfered reveals; dormers with triangular pediments, thistle, rose, star and fleur-de-lis finials. Several 19th century windows (new or enlargements of originals).

NE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: L-plan with single bay block to left, 2-bay block to right, canted, entrance stair tower in re-entrant angle. Tower of 3 facets breaking eaves, semi-octagonal in plan; broad, roll-moulded Renaissance door surround with moulded lintel facing NE, later 19th century boarded half-glazed door, low mounting block immediately to right of door. Blank panel with moulded surround above, small window directly above and at uppermost level; narrow windows from ground to 1st floor in facet to NW. Single bay jamb to left, windows symmetrically disposed from ground to attic to right, small window at ground, blocked window at 1st floor; pedimented dormerhead with finial; single storey block to outer left with door and window. 2-bay, asymmetrical block to right of entrance, window at ground, smaller window at 1st floor to left, immediately to right of tower; window at ground, 1st floor to outer right; pedimented dormerhead with fleur-de-lis finial, dated 1672 at pediment. Mid to later 19th century, single storey, L-plan block to outer right; polished stone margins.

SE ELEVATION: 3-bay near-symmetrical block with lower single storey block to outer right; later 19th century windows and doors, except for dormerheads. Door at centre, droved margin, half-glazed with 5-pane fanlight; window above and windows symmetrically disposed in bays to left and right. Blocked door against outer left window to left of door; blocked window at 1st floor between centre and outer left windows, tablet sundial above, no gnomons. 2 pedimented dormerheads near-symmetrcially disposed, above blocked window and to left of outer right window, ball finials. Earlier 19th century single storey addition slightly recessed to outer right against right gable, window to left.

SW ELEVATION: broad, crowstepped gable to outer right; windows to outer right from ground to 2nd floor. 2-bay block to left with pedimented dormerheads; windows symmetrically disposed but for window at 1st floor to right of main windows; gabled dormerheads with rose, thistle finial to right and left respectively; date of 1672 inscribed on right pediment. Mid 19th century, single storey, 4-bay, asymmetrical block to left against left gable; rubble with stone margins, raised cills, door and window to right, window off-centre to left, small window to outer left, tall, coped stack; flat-roofed block advanced to outer left.

4-pane sash and case windows; 3-pane top-hopper over 2-pane at dormerheads; 12-pane sash and case at SW elevation at ground; plate glass sash and case. Grey slate steeply-pitched roof; stone roof ridge, corniced, coped apex stacks, thackstanes; crowstepped gables.

INTERIOR: plain interior, largely remodelled in 19th century.

BOUNDARY WALL: low rubble wall with harl-pointing and semicircular coping surround rectangular-plan area to SW of house.

SUNDIALS: at NE angle of house plain 2-faced wall-mounted sundial; tabular dial at upper stage of SE elevation.

Statement of Interest

Cockburn House was built for William Chiesley in 1672. The house has essentially remained unaltered but has been modernised internally. The immediate land is shown as a regular, quartered plot with plantings on the 1st and 2nd edition maps. The house now serves as offices and stores for the Cockburn Dairy.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17570086

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas