Gate Piers, Northfield, 550 Lanark Road West, Balerno, Pentland Hills, Edinburgh

Description

Walter Crum Watson, dated 1910. 2-storey and attic, rambling-plan, Scottish Arts and Crafts house. Grey harl over brick with red sandstone dressings; shaped, pedimented red sandstone dormerheads; eaves cornice.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 5 asymmetrical bays. M-gable advanced to outer left with 2-bay entrance block recessed to outer right. Door lower penultimate bay to left, ashlar plath; red sandstone roll-moulded surround; datestone and monogrammed plaque overdoor with bracketted scrolls, cornucopia, Star of David monogram with initials W W C. Coloured, glazed tiled inset of Madonna della Catene in wall above door; Madonna and Child being crowned by angels, crushing snake under foot, anchor emblem. Broad window at ground and dormerheaded window above to left of door. Tall, 2-bay gable to outer right; windows symmetrically disposed at ground and 1st floor; single narrow window at gablehead. Tall, 2-bay, M-gable advanced to outer left; windows symmetrically disposed from ground to attic floor at right bay; single window at gablehead of outer left bay. 2-bay right return; windows symmetrically disposed; dormerheads; broad wallhead stack immediately to right of the inner bay.

S ELEVATION: 6 asymmetrical bays. Advanced broad 2-bay gable to outer right, windows symmetrically disposed, those at 1st floor larger; small Renaissance niche at gablehead. 2 tall windows lighting hall in bays at principal floor to left; (small window at ground level under outer left window). Dormerhead at centre; blank ground floor; window at ground to left. Recessed and slightly taller outer left bay (right return of outer right bay of main elevation); windows symmetrically disposed at ground and 1st floor.

E ELEVATION: 3-bay main block with 4-bay asymmetrical jamb recessed to outer right. Full-height canted bay at centre; blocking course, roll-moulded string course; 3 windows at ground, 5 at 1st floor. Flanking windows symmetrically disposed at ground; single window to outer left at 1st floor. 3-bay right return; broad gable to left, 2-bay single storey and attic block to right. Oriel at centre of gable, sandstone corbel, half-domed (as in half-piended) lead roof; small window at ground outer left. Single storey block to outer right, steep swept roof, 2 windows at ground; square, tripartite, slate-hung dormer; narrow window at corner. Tall jamb of 2 bays with 2-bay single storey over raised storage to outer right. Narrow inner left bay, windows symmetrically disposed, half-piended dormerhead. Bowed bay to outer right; windows symmetrically disposed. Low 2-bay block at ground outer left; 2 windows at 1st floor grouped to right. Door at ground at gable. Forestair to outer right leading to rear.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: 3-bay asymmetrical block with single storey over raised basement service block advanced to outer left forming court at rear. 3 bays of door and 2 windows at W elevation of service block; timber ridge ventilators. 3-bay main block to outer right; chimney breast and flue off-centre to right with 2 symmetrical bays to left; bay to outer right blank. Flat-roofed, cement rendered boilerhouse at ground of flue.

12-pane, 24-pane and 30-pane sash and case windows. Birnam green slate roof; lead flashings; swept ashlar skews at gable.

INTERIOR: not seen 1993.

GARDENER'S COTTAGE: 3-bay, single storey; square-plan, very steep pyramidal-roofed, Arts and Crafts gardener's cottage with low walls to NW of house. Grey harl with sandstone margins and dressings.

S ELEVATION: 3 symmetrical bays; low door breaking eaves at centre, 2-leaf with upper glazed panel; flanking full-height windows breaking eaves at mid-point with pedimented gables.

W & E ELEVATIONS: 2 swept windows breaking eaves. 2 greenhouses immediately to right of W elevation.

12-pane sash and case windows. Green slate, very steep roof of maltings house appearance. Tall harled and coped apex stack.

GARDEN: well-maintained garden with mature hedges and designed features, contemporary with the building of the house; formal planting at E side.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALL: at W of house against M-gable; gatepiers leading from entrance front to rear of building. Stugged, red sandstone piers with ashlar caps. Lossely constructed red sandstone rubble wall runs form pier to right; becomes low wall in front of main elevation of gardener's cottage.

Statement of Interest

McWilliam credits George Mackie Watson with the design of Northfield but the present owner, Dr Stephen, has discoverd that it was in fact designed by Walter Crum Watson in 1910 as the architects own house. He had trained with Alfred Waterhouse and Sir Aston Webb and had travelled extensively in Europe. In 1908 he had published an architectural treatise on PORTUGUESE ARCHITECTURE. The house is a fine example of the Scottish Arts and Crafts style and the surrounding gardens, contemporary with the building of the house, and the gardener's cottages make up a very coherent and well-planned unit.

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