Description

William Leiper, 1871. 2-storey, asymmetrical almost square plan Arts and Crafts villa. Cream, stugged and snecked sandstone with red sandstone banding and cream ashlar dressings. Biaprtite and tripartite windows with stone mullions; chamfered arrises; red sandstone banding at 1st floor with double bands to gableheads; overhanging bracketted eaves. W (UPPER SUTHERLAND STREET/ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: taller lop-sided gabled bay to centre with wallhead stack breaking eaves to left, advanced single storey bay to outer right with steeply pitched roof, return of single storey lean-to service block to outer left. Bay to centre with pointed-arch doorway to right, deeply chamfered reveals, hoodmould with masque label stops, boarded door, timber ingoes to porch with encaustic tiles to floor, deep-set half-glazed door. Animal head (unicorn) carved in stone set above doorway. Window to left with carved boar's head above. Tripartite window above at 1st floor. Advanced bay to outer right with 4-light window.

S (GARDEN) ELEVATION: M-gabled, lop-sided gable to left with wallhead stack breaking eaves to left. Bipartite mullioned and transomed window to off-centre left at ground (lower mullion removed); blank armorial panel in squared recess to far left. Canted window to right (1-2-1), cornice, pitched slate roof. Tripartite window to left gable at 1st floor, bipartite to right.

E (SIDE) ELEVATION: window off-centre right and to far right ast ground, single storey service wing adjoining to outer right. Gabled dormer breaking eaves to centre with king-post detail to jettied apex; wallhead stack breaking eaves adjoining dormer to left.

N ELEVATION: gabled bay to outer left with single storey gabled block projecting, window to gablehead, bipartite stair window breaking eaves to right with cat-slide roof. Advanced single storey block with bipartite window to N elevation, window on return to right, single storey, 4-bay lean-to flanking to right (below stiar window), single storey wing flanking to outer left.

Mostly plate glass casement windows. Grey/green slate roof, red ridge tiles, snecked sandstone stacks. Some original rainwater goods. Interior: plain cornices; squared compartmental plasterwork to ceiling of reception rooms; timber dog-leg stair with turned balusters; lead-pane glazing to stair window with Aestetic Movement stained glass with figurative panels and monograms above of WL and MJ; original timber chimneypieces.

Statement of Interest

The architect's own house is in what he called his "English cottage styl e". The boar's head on the west elevation is reputed to have come from Terpersie Castle in Aberdeenshire, allegedly the home of Leiper's forefathers. The figurative panels in the stiar window are of Lord Darnley and Mary Queen of Scots, the initials above are William Leiper's and those of his "housekeeper" who's first name may have been Margaret.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17777805

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

• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)