Description

1872. 2-storey and attic large Baronial villa; square-plan with symmetrical garden and entrance elevations. Bartizans corbelled out from ground floor over angles and raised above wallhead. Contemporary stable court ranges. Early French Gothic and Scots Jacobean detail. Stugged and snecked red sandstone rubble, ashlar dressings; grey slated French pavilion roofs with decorative fleur-de-lis cast (?and wrought) iron brattishing at wallhead on S and W elevations and elaborate iron finials at main roof apice, turrets and gablets of dormer headed windows. Base course and 1st floor string course; angle turrets with steep pitched fish-scale slated conical roofs corbelled out at 1st over curved angles of main block of house. Single and bipartite windows, with shallow basket-arched lintels. Plate glass sash and case glazing.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 3-bay, bartizans flanking. Shallow advanced pilastered central bay with parapet and small sculptured strapwork pediment and flanking Jacobethan style urn finials as antefixae over parapet wallhead. Ground floor masked at centre bay by flat roofed, single storey entrance porch; bipartite window above 1st; single windows flanking on both floors.

ENTRANCE PORCH: has deeply curved recessed panels at angles; parapet with triangular strapwork pediment and curved strapwork motif antefixae over curved angles; mullioned and transomed west facing bipartite. Entrance in N flank of porch: lugged and bolection moulded doorcase, simplfied Jacobethan consoled frieze and cornice; 6-panel door.

S ELEVATION: 3-bay at ground (outer windows tripartite), 5-bay at 1st (single light windows). Central projecting tower is semi-circular at ground, corbelled to square at 1st, with French pavilion roof; elaborate Jacobean style 1st floor window with open wallhead pediment. Fleur-de-lis brattishing at wallhead and pair barge-boarded dormer-headed windows with timber nook-shaft detail at jambs. To right is rear enclosing wall of stable court buildings, originally with lean-to conservatory (removed 1991).

Single storey STABLE COURT BUILDINGS: to E; stugged and snecked red sandstone rubble, with panelled and corniced stacks. L-plan range attached to house, and roughly U-plan single storey and loft range to E enclosing courtyard; irregular greenhouses and kennel enclosure attached to E.

INTERIOR: retains much of original decorative scheme. Entrance hall; cream sandstone chimney-piece with squat Renaissance style pilaster stiles, elaborately carved frieze and raised central tablet with harvest motif. Cornices, some with elaborately carved mutule bracketted plasterwork; centre roses to principal rooms.

BILLIARD ROOM: full height ?pine panelling, fireplace flanked by full height turned timber colonnettes (detached). Variety of original light fittings; main dog-leg stair with turned timber balusters; coved ceilinged rectangular lantern above. Servant's stair with cast-iron balusters. GATEPIERS: pair simple monoliths, square-plan with chamfered angles, no capitals but Egyptic triangular pedimented top and incised fan-like motif.

Statement of Interest

Built originally for 'RFM', inscribed on entrance porch.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17777867

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

• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)