Description

William Leiper, circa 1871; late 19th century conservatory also by Leiper. 2-storey, asymmetrical Greek Revival villa, with conservatory abutting to left. Stugged, snecked cream sandstone with ashlar dressings. Base course; cill coures; ashlar pilaster-mullions and pilastered reveals; architerave and frieze above tripartite window to S gable and porch, patera decoration to frieze; deep overhanging bracketted eaves.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: taller advanced gabled bay to centre, single bay wings flanking, porch in re-entrant angle to right. Advanced gabled ashlar porch with Scamozzi-Ionic columns, window on return to right, 2-leaf panelled doors. Advanced gabled bay to left with deep 5-light bow window at ground, tripartite window at 1st floor. Recessed bay to left with slightly advanced tripartite wndow at ground with entablature, bipartite window above at 1st floor.

W ELEVATION: gable bay to right with window to left at ground, conservatory to right (see below), 2 windows at 1st floor, advanced chimney wall off-centre left. Single wing to left with bipartite window at ground and 1st floor. Advanced lower 2-storey service wing to outer left with single window at ground and bipartite at 1st floor.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: taller gable bay to centre, bipartite stair window at 1st floor. Single storey and lower 2-storey service wings abutting. E ELEVATION: window to centre at ground, bipartite windows flanking. Window to centre and left at 1st floor, bipartite window to outer right. Mostly plate glass sash and case windows, lead-pane glazing with painted glass to porch, hall and stair-hall windows. Grey/green slate roof, corniced sandstone stacks.

INTERIOR: fine interior with encaustic tiled porch, half-glazed vestibule door; corniced ceilings; drawing room with timber chimneypiece with Ionic columns and timber screen to bow window; dining room with wainscot, black marble chimneypiece with marble columns. Stone stair with timber balusters. Pantry with original fittings and mezzanie above. CONSERVATORY: fine timber-framed hexagonal conservatory on ashlar plinth joined to villa by short glazed link corridor, with lean-to glazed potting shed to N. Doorway to S.

GATEPIERS: drum ashlar piers with bell-cast caps.

Statement of Interest

When William Leiper built his own house Terpersie he feued the

adjacent site and built this villa. According to his partner, W Hunter McNab, Leiper designed several Greek Revival houses, but this is the only one that has been identified. Similar to the villas of Alexander 'Greek' Thomson, Leiper built up the design by interpenetrating units. He also uses similar pilaster-mullions and reveals, shallow pitched roofs and decorative detail similar to Thomson's villas. The deep bow window to the south elevation is reminiscent of Thomson's Holmwood of 1856. However Leiper chose to stamp his individual mark on this Greek Revival villa by the addition of a Roman style porch.

Rhuarden, formerly called Bonnytoun, was built for John McGregor JP.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17777801

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

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  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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