Description

Mid 19th century. Large 2-storey, 4-bay Jacobean villa. Coursed, polished sandstone ashlar with polished dressings. Bracketed, corniced, strapwork balconies to 1st floor windows; cill course at 1st floor; cornice. Margins to windows; skews, skew-putts and tabernacle forming finial to gabled bay.

S (FRONT) ELEVATION: advanced, 2-bay, gabled bay at right: window to each bay at ground and to 1st floor above; continuous bracketed balcony at 1st floor; cornices to each window at 1st floor, with carved emblems above; kneelered gable. Recessed 2-bay block at left with advanced single storey entrance porch to ground at bay to right; margin-framed panelled timber entrance door with frieze and cornice above, surmounted by elaborate carved strapwork emblem; balcony formed above porch; single window with triangular pediment at 1st floor; single window at ground to bay to outer left, with balcony to single window with triangular gable at 1st floor above.

Piend-roofed conservatory on rendered base extending to front at outer right.

E (SIDE) ELEVATION: 3-bay symmetrical. Single window to bay to left and right at ground and 1st floors (blocked at 1st floor to left); triangular pediments to 1st floor windows; chimney-breast to centre forming square-section wallhead stack at roof.

Modern gabled single storey addition at W. Coursed sandstone ashlar; skews. Centred bipartite window.

2-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roof; corniced wall- and gablehead stacks with mixture of tall and short square-sectioned, corniced cans, diagonally set; painted cast-iron rainwater goods.

BOUNDARY WALLS, OBELISK AND GATE PIERS: tall, squared and snecked sandstone rubble boundary wall with saddleback coping bordering Wester Coates Road at E. Low, coursed sandstone boundary wall to front, with obelisk and square-plan corniced gate piers, surmounted by small, capped obelisks.

Statement of Interest

Built under Alexander Black, who died in 1858, as part of the Heriot Trust feus. Jacobethan villa in prominent location bordering principal western approach to the city. Distinctive strapwork details: balconies and carving above cornices. The obelisk gatepiers continue the theme set by Donaldson's Hospital (see separate list description).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17810162

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

• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas