Description

No 153: N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: late 18th century with additional 19th century work 2-storey 3-bay terraced house with close to left. Painted ashlar to street elevation with lettering, 'NEWSAGENT M. G. FARQUHARSON CONFECTIONER TOBACCONIST FANCY GOODS'. Narrow base course, cill course to 1st floor, moulded eaves course. Margined windows and doorway, ground floor window openings chamfered.

No 151: E (CLOSE) ELEVATION: late 18th century-early 19th century 2-storey terraced houses/weaving sheds with 1-bay projection to right set at right-angles with moulded corbel forming part of close. Whinstone rubble with predominantly droved red sandstone dressings. Properties in close stepped at roofline indicating separate owners (currently 3 including that to N which is part of No. 153).

No 153: graded grey slates, 12-pane timber sash and case windows to upper storey, 2-pane fixed light windows to lower storey. Replacement door. Corniced ridge stacks to E (later brick) and W (ashlar). No 151: some replacement windows and doors, some 12-pane timber sash and case windows, 1 timber boarded door.

INTERIOR: No 151: house to S modernised, middle house, not seen. No 153 modernised.

ANCILLARY STRUCTURES AND BOUNDARY WALLS: (all to S). To E, single storey 2-bay building. Whinstone rubble (harled to N), pantiles, timber 12-pane sash and case windows, 2-leaf timber door. Gable stack to S. To W, single storey 3-bay former lavatory and coal store, whinstone rubble. To S, former washhouse, now roofless and severely dilapidated. To far S, former pigsty, rubble walls with triangular coping stones.

Statement of Interest

A characteristic Newburgh building, this is an important townscape feature within the exceptional High Street. Nos 153 and 151 are good examples of Newburgh's social history. Both properties were owned for a considerable amount of time in the 18th and 19th centuries by the Cochrane family.

Alexander Cochrane, weaver and Matthew Cochrane, shoemaker were admitted as burgesses of the burgh of Newburgh in July 1778.

At one time Matthew Cochrane owned what is now 153 and 151 High Street and his brother, Alexander owned the property next door, now 149 High Street. It is possible that they were originally built as a pair for the brothers - the 1st edition OS map shows a shared croft behind both properties.

The Cochranes appeared to be at various times weavers (a typical Newburgh occupation), barbers and shoemakers. There are many entries in the sasine records for the property concerning weaving, such as: 'leaves to George Cochrane liberty to possess the East room in the loft entry through the common entry and also two lippies lintseed ground about the middle of the yard or croft being 10 yards square to each lippie' and 'gives to George Cochrane, weaver, his six loom shop, situated behind the dwelling houses disponed by him to Matthew and John Cochrane, sons of Andrew Cochrane, barber together with six roods of his croft. With reservation of a loom stance in the said six loom shop to his sister Isobel Cochrane during her life.'

The lettering on the street elevation refers to the Farquharsons who ran the ground floor of No 153 as a Newsagents until it was sold in 1977. It continued as a shop until 1986 when the ground floor was altered to provide living accommodation.

Re-categorised as C(S) from B for Group (2006). The listing relates specifically to the group interest of the subject. It applies, as always, to interior as well as exterior, as appropriate to building type.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56644416

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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  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
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  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
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  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
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  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)