Description

Circa 1863. Tower and E range were added to original building sometime before 1880. (when Dean of Guild records begin). Robert Morham, City Architect, added the porch and lodge in 1885. Built as school in Baronial style, now the Royal Bank of Scotland Staff Training Centre. Large 3-storey rectangular block around small central courtyard with round tower and range extending to E. Squared and snecked sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings. Base course; corbel table above 1st floor; stone brackets at eaves; chamfered reveals.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: comprising main 7-bay range with advanced round tower to right, and 3-bay range to outer right.

7-bay range: advanced gabled bay at centre with projecting round-arched entrance porch with hoodmoulding, crowstepped gable and stone finials; round-arched windows to returns; 2-leaf panelled doors in tripartite frame; plate glass fanlight. Tripartite window at 1st floor; pointed-arched window at 2nd floor, breaking eaves in gablehead. Single windows in remaining bays (see glazing notes below).

4-stage round tower: slit windows to stair, bracketted corbel at eaves to 4th stage above; brackettted cornice to conical roof with ball-finial.

3-bay E range: Tudor-arched windows with transom and Tudor-arched tracery to upper panels (grouped 1-4-1) at ground floor, 3 single windows with transoms to 1st floor, that to outer left in corbelled panel; 3 bipartite windows with cross-mullions breaking eaves in gabled dormerheads at 3rd floor, outer bays divided by wallhead stack corbelled on armorial panel. Enclosed staircase (1971) adjoining to outer right.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: comprising main block and E range.

Main Block: 4 windows and secondary entrance at ground floor; 4 single windows at 1st floor; corbelled pepperpot bartizans with lead ball-finials breaking eaves to outer left and right at 2nd floor; 3 timber pedimented dormers and gablehead window.

E range: 4 grouped Tudor-arched windows with details as above at ground floor; 5 single windows at 1st floor; 3 bipartite windows with cross-mullions, breaking eaves in piend-roofed dormerheads with lead finials. Advanced piend-roofed block with single windows at all floors to outer right.

E AND W ELEVATIONS: irregular disposition of predominantly single windows.

Almost entirely reglazed with uPVC frames to new glazing pattern. Grey slate roof; corniced wallhead, gabled and ridge stacks; corbelled gablehead stack to NW corner; corbelled wallhead stack to S elevation of E range; moulded cans; some original rainwater goods including hoppers and decorative brackets.

INTERIOR: stained glass windows to staircase (St John and Florence Nightingale, 1925) and hall (St Columba, 1930), all by Marjorie Kemp; cast-iron balustrade to main staircase; some decorative plaster mouldings remain.

LODGE, 11 Kilgraston Road,: Robert Morham, 1885. Single storey L-plan lodge built into quadrant wall in similar materials to main house.

S (entrance) elevation comprising porch with boarded door and timber bargeboards at re-entrant angle; 2 single windows to apsidal living room to outer left.

W (Kilgraston Road) elevation comprising single window breaking eaves to outer left. N elevation comprising single window and blocked secondary entrance.

E elevation comprsing low range of service rooms. uPVC replacement windows. Grey-green slate roof; shouldered and heavily corniced ridge stack; moulded octagonal cans; terracotta ridge tiles and finials.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: high coped boundary and mutual walls: 2 panelled gatepiers with plinths and pyramidal coping to N of house on Kilgraston Road; 2 gatepiers with plinths, fluted capitals, and scrolled coping; smaller single gatepiers to pedestrian gateway; modern iron gates.

Outbuildings to N of main house (1908). Steps remaining from formal terraced garden.

Statement of Interest

"Esdaile" was founded by the Rev David Esdaile as an educational establishment for the daughters of Ministers of the Church of Scotland and Professors in the Universities of Scotland. The Ministers' Daughters' College seems to have expanded rapidly after its inception. Externally the main house appears to have been little altered since Robert Morham's alterations in 1885, although outbuildings were added.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56632571

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

• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover