Description

John Henderson, circa 1859. Adjoining chapel by Robert Weir Schultz, 1950-7 (see separate listing). Alterations by Reginald Fairlie 1930-34. 2-storey near rectangular-plan Scottish 17th century villa. Squared and snecked pink sandstone with polished dressings. Cill course to garden front; crowstepped gables; chamfered reveals.

N ENTRANCE elevation: flat-roofed porch (1930-34) adjoining house to outer right and linking chapel; roll-moulded doorway with St Andrew panel and motto "Salva me bona crux"; deep-set boarded door. Advanced gabled bay to outer right of house; 2 single windows at ground;machicolated corbel table above; 2 slit windows at 1st floor; single window in gablehead. Tall round-headed stairwindow to centre. Single window at ground to outer left. High coped wall screening piend-roofed garage adjoining to N; flat-roofed rendered garage and service wing adjoining to E. S GARDEN elevation: 3-bay. bay to outer left with rounded angle at ground, breaking eaves as tower with saddleback roof; paired single windows at ground and 1st floors; single window breaking eaves in pointed-arched pediment. 2-storey, 5-light canted window in central bay; slate roof. Segmental-arched window at ground in bay toouter right; single window at 1st floor with bracketted pediment. W ELEVATION: 3-bay. Linking block to chapel at ground floor. Single window with corbelled pointed-arched pediment at 1st floor in 1st bay. Single window at 1st floor in 2nd bay. Square section bartizan with slit windows clasping NW angle of saddleback-roofed tower (see S elevation). E ELEVATION: M-gabled. Flat-roofed service and garage wing at ground; 2 segmental-arched windows at 1st floor centre; single window to right.Small-pane sash and case windows; plate glass sash and case windows to S. Grey slate roof; corniced gablehead stacks; double shouldered wallhead stack to N; moulded eaves guttering; beak skewputts. INTERIOR: decorative plaster cornices; timber fireplaces; timber balustrade and handrail; glass cupola over entrance hall.

Statement of Interest

A-Group with 42 Greenhill Gardens (chapel). The house was originally designed for George Seton, advocate, by John Henderson (see NMRS WatherstonCollection). In 1890 St Bennets was purchased by the Archidiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh as an official residence for the archbishop. In 1905 plans were drawn up by Robert Weir Schultz for a small chapel to be added to the W. Reginald Fairlie carried out alterations to the house in the early 1930s, including the repositioning of the staircase, and the addition of the vestibule and offices which now link the chapel to the W side of the house.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17804259

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

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair