Description

1828 with 1967 alterations. 2-storey, 5-bay, symmetrical, rectangular-plan, piended roof, Regency style house with slightly advanced central bays and later decorative ironwork trellis balconettes and door surround. Painted render with painted stone window margins and margined quoins. Small chamfered window to rear upper left. Carved stone carriage bollards to N corners. Small late 20th century piended porch to rear.

Predominantly 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows, with lying panes to ground floor. 20th century timber casements to rear. Two-leaf timber entrance door. Grey slate roof, concrete ridges. Small wallhead stack to rear. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

Statement of Interest

Leithen House is a handsome earlier 19th century dwelling prominently sited to the main street of the old town centre area of Innerleithen and adjacent to the 18th century Innerleithen Old Bridge (see separate listing).

The building was formerly known as Marmion House and Buchan notes that it was built in 1828 by merchant Robert Boyd with a shop attached; Leithen road is marked as Marmion Place on the first edition map. It was at some time an inn and local folklore maintains that Sir Walter Scott wrote the opening lines of 'Marmion House' within the building.

A photograph of 1860 showing the St. Ronan's Games being held in front of the building shows it with a further bay to the S, now demolished. This was possibly the attached shop, which at one time also housed a laundry. This photograph also suggests that the building was formerly two dwellings with a central entrance pend.

Leithen House was derelict for some time and was rebuilt with new interior by Murray and Burrell circa 1967. Some original details survive to the rear including an interesting shaped window to the upper left and a pair of carved stone bollards protecting the N corners of the building from the former road.

Single flat roofed garage to SE corner of garden.

List description revised 2008.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56635486

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

• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)