Description

Circa 1840, enlarged circa 1850 and later additions (see Notes). 2-storey former farmhouse, approximately L-plan with advanced chamfered gable to N; entrance turret in re-entrant angle with conical roof and decorative wrought-iron weather vane; 2 single-storey and attic outshots to E. Squared, coursed sandstone with stugged and polished ashlar window and door dressings. Eaves course. Regular fenestration with raised ashlar margins.

N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: circular re-entrant tower containing timber panelled door in round-arch roll-moulded doorway with semi-circular plate glass fanlight; hoodmould with floreate stops. Deep cornice and bipartite mullioned window above. Advanced canted window at ground to right; single window above. Advanced gable to left; canted corners at ground, each with light, corbelled to square at 1st floor. Mullioned bipartite windows at ground and above. Thistle finial to gable. 2 modern garage doors in recessed outshot to outer left (see Notes).

W (SIDE) ELEVATION: 2 bays; main gable to left, later, narrower gable with plain gable-head stack to right. Regularly fenestrated; window at ground to left with small bracketed canopy.

E ELEVATION: 2 advanced gables; that to left slightly higher, and contemporary with house; modern glazed door at ground; window above. Gable to right, later 19th century, possibly former cartshed or outbuilding; slightly advanced; hopper window to attic.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: not accessible 2002.

Predominantly 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Corniced, chamfered stacks with tall clay cans. Ashlar-coped skews with scrolled skewputs. Graded grey slate.

Statement of Interest

This was the farmhouse for Bonaly Farm. Other surviving buildings are the farm steading (now converted into flats), the farm cottages (19-23 Bonaly Road) and the later Farm Overseer's house (20 Bonaly Road). The steading and the cottages are listed seperately, 20 Bonaly Road is not listed. Together, these buildings form an important reminder of Bonaly's agricultural past.

The house was built between 1834 and 1855: it is shown on the 1st edition OS map, but not on Gellatly's New Map of The County 12 Miles Around Edinburgh. It also appears on John Bell's Plan Of The Estate Of Spylaw, to which it was evidently added some time after the map had been drawn. Bell's map shows the house as a Z-plan building, and from this it can be deduced that the original house comprised of the main gabled block of the W elevation, the left-hand gabled block of the East elevation, and the rear part of the N-S oriented gabled block. The front door would have been at the W elevation, where the canopied window is. By the publication of the 1855 OS map, the entrance tower and SW gable had been added, and the N gable had been extended. The NE outshot, which now contains the garages, was built between the publication of the 1852 and 1894 OS maps. The wall containing the garage doors is completely new, but the rest of the building appears intact.

This farm originally belonged to James Gillespie's Hospital, which owned most of the land in and around Colinton. An interesting letter regarding the farm is in the Merchant Company Archive (see References). It is dated September 1896, and was from the current tenant, George Auldjo Jamieson. Jamieson wished to give up his tenancy (the farm wasn't profitable enough), and the letter is accompanied by a valuation of the farm, and includes details of improvements which Jamieson had personally carried out. These included iron additions to the house (#240.6.6), the building of the overseer?s house, "a much better one than need have been built", in 1887-9 (#583.14.4), and alterations to the steading in 1888-91 (#72.15.9).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56631718

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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