Description

Circa 1810 with mid-19th century additions. 2-storey, 3-bay, L-plan former farmhouse with slightly advanced central bay, later canted bay window at ground to left, and later additions to NW (rear). Painted render with ashlar dressings. Base course, cill course, eaves course and blocking course to SE (front) only. Long and short quoins. Ashlar margins to all windows and doors.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 2-leaf timber panelled door with plate glass fanlight in slightly recessed unmoulded architrave frame, approached by two steps with side-railings. Large canted bay window to left. Slightly raised section in blocking course above central window.

SW (GARDEN) ELEVATION: 4 sections. Gable-end of original house to right; 2 windows at ground, window at 1st-floor to left. 1-bay, piend-roofed section to centre. Recessed piend-roofed single-storey section to left with French door and window; unrendered, gabled section to outer left.

NW (REAR) ELEVATION: lean-to 20th century shed or conservatory with timber boarded door and continuous glazing.

NE (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 4 sections. Plain gable of original house advanced to left; 3 windows to right return. Piend-roofed section to centre; half-glazed timer back door with flanking windows at ground; 2 windows at first floor. Piend-roofed section to right with large kitchen window, and small window; slightly advanced gabled section to outer right with 1950s folding double garage doors.

Predominantly timber sash and case windows with plate-glass at ground floor and 4-pane glazing at 1st floor to front elevation; predominantly 12-pane glazing to side elevations. Rendered gablehead stacks with ashlar margins and octagonal cans to original house; coped wall head stacks with circular cans to central section. Ashlar coped skews. Graded grey slate. Cast-iron downpipes. Free-standing cast-iron boot scrapers to either side of front steps.

INTERIOR: half-glazed timber panelled inner door with diamond-shaped glazing to small entrance lobby. Curved cantilevered staircase with decorative wrought-iron balusters and mahogany rail (see Notes). Timber panelled interior doors.

OUTBUILING AND COURTYARD: cobbled and paved courtyard with coped random rubble walls to NE (see Notes). Small single storey, random rubble outbuilding or woodshed with single coped skew to left (see Notes), timber boarded doors and graded grey slate roof.

BOUNDARY WALL AND GATEPIERS: coped random rubble boundary wall; probably later sandstone gate piers, with stepped tops; decorative timber gates; pedestrian gate to left. Pair of round-topped sandstone gatepiers to left of house.

Statement of Interest

Former farmhouse, originally belonging to James Gillespie's Hospital. The original house is the gabled section at the front. The bay window and plate glass at the front were probably installed in the 1860s. The shape of the house does not appear to have changed since the publication of the 1894 OS map. There were originally outbuildings in the courtyard, parallel to the house, and joined to it by a link coming forward from the present garage. The woodshed was part of these outbuildings, which is why it only has one skew. The site of these former outbuildings is clearly apparent from the paved (rather than cobbled) areas in the courtyard. The rear wall of these buildings is now the courtyard wall. 63 Spylaw Bank Road is shown as the Lodge to Spylaw Bank House on the 1894 OS map.

A similar cantivered staircase with (a plainer) wrought-iron and mahogany baluster is to be found at 1 Woodhall Road, which was built at about the same time.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56632209

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

• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)