Description

Smart, Stewart and Mitchell, 1924/5. 2 storey, Arts and Crafts gabled cricket pavilion with distinctive timber octagonal section with upper veranda and domical roof to NE, overlooking cricket pitch. Rubble and timber; some split-log boarding to upper storey dormers. Some bi- and tripartite windows. Gabled, cat-slide and jerkin-headed dormers breaking wallhead.

NW ELEVATION: asymmetrical; roughly 6-bay rubble section to right with part-glazed entrance doors to ground. Gabled dormer to far right with single window below; near central cat-slide dormer abuts octagonal roof at far left. Off-centre covered timber dog-leg stair leads to upper storey timber balcony with part-glazed entrance door.

SE ELEVATION: asymmetrical: roughly 6-bays. Bipartite and single window openings to ground. Central cat-slide dormer with bipartite window below. 2-bay jerkin-headed dormer to far left; 2-bay cat-slide dormer to right abuts octagonal roof at far right.

NE ELEVATION: Octagonal section with verandah to upper storey with timber balustrade, supported by log columns. Pair of tripartite French doors lead to verandah. Small window openings to ground. Swept domical roof. Mock doocot to roof apex.

INTERIOR: (seen 2013). Room layout largely as original. Rooms largely refurbished. Panelled timber doors.

Predominantly multi-pane timber replacement casement windows. Some jerkin-headed, cat-slide and swept dormers. Red roof pantiles.

Statement of Interest

This is a distinctive and unusual cricket pavilion, particularly remarkable for its raised 2-storey octagonal timber section with verandah. The veranda provides a sweeping view of the cricket pitch and an ideal vantage point for viewing the game. The use of timber enhances the rustic character of the building. The pavilion looks over the cricket pitch and is a significant addition to the wider estate. The pavilion was refurbished in 2010.

The pavilion and its associated cricket ground were laid out in 1925 by Arthur Kinmond Bell, an important local philanthropist, who lived at Kincarrathie House (see separate listing). AK Bell was particularly interested in cricket and he stipulated after his death that the ground should be 'kept in proper condition for recreational purposes'.

There is a rectangular building depicted in this position on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Map of 1866 and it may be that some earlier fabric is contained within the current pavilion.

Smart, Stewart and Mitchell (1924 - after 1949) were an architectural practice which was based in Perth. The practice worked almost exclusively in Perthshire and included both public and private buildings.

Cricket has been played in Scotland since the early 19th century and it is thought to have arrived in England around the same time. It was a significant sport in Scotland in terms of popularity at the time. The team arrangement and constitution of cricket generally provided an early formal structure that was easily adopted by other developing sports in the United Kingdom, resulting in turn in their rapid advancement. Many cricket grounds were the first playing grounds available for organised sport and they were also used for early football and rugby matches.

List description updated as part of the sporting buildings thematic study (2012-13).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17849340

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 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas