Description

Edwin Lutyens, 1896-7. 2-storey, (over raised basement to E); rectangular-plan Arts and Crafts villa, originally wing to earlier 19th century hotel (partially demolished, W block forming Ferry Inn Cottage extant, see separate listing). Whinstone rubble with harl-pointing, white-painted harl at principal floor; ashlar margins and dressings; chamfered reveals; masonry mullions at basement and ground floor, multi-paned, metal-framed windows directly under eaves at upper floor; canted oriels. Upper floor slightly jettied on principal elevation; deep-set segmental windows to basement. Projecting eaves.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: broad, 2-bay, gabled, bell-cast roofed entrance porch advanced to left, low base course; round-arched entrance, alternate voussoirs emphasised; open segmental arch on right return; small bipartite window to left; small canted oriel in gablehead. Former door blocked as bipartite window at ground to outer left of porch, window at 1st floor. 3-bay block to right of porch over deep battered basement. Massive whinstone and sandstone chimney stack rising from basement, breaking eaves to form 3 very tall, sandstone coped, diamond-set stacks; flanking continuous run of ashlar windows at principal floor. 6-light flush window strip to left at upper floor; oriel, bipartite and corner oriel to right of stack; 2 windows at basement.

E ELEVATION: 5 regular bays with oriels to harled upper floor over 2-storey whinstone basement; 2 windows at centre to basement; battered out-shot to outer right (ashlar saddleback coping) forming balcony to round-headed wooden, hinged and studded door, 5-light window. 5-light window to outer left; bipartite metal-framed window to left of centre.

N ELEVATION: 2-storey, 4-bay, harled block to right looking N into walled garden; 3-bay block slightly recessed to left over double basement. 4 segmental-headed windows at ground to right, grouped 1-3, sandstone and whinstone margins; bipartite window at 1st floor outer right; jettied 3-bay, bell-cast roofed, block at 1st floor to left, closely-spaced bipartite windows corbelled out at cill. 3 regular bays to upper floor left, corner oriel, 2 closely spaced oriels at centre; lower piend-roofed glazed conservatory on rubble battered outshot to left in re-entrant angle; 5-light window, window at lower basement level.

W ELEVATION: 3-bay; flanking advanced, bell-cast roofed jambs, garage door in jamb to left, door with flanking bipartite windows; recessed metal-framed 5-light window at ground (plate glass), 1st floor (multi-paned).

Plate glass and multi-paned windows; graded grey/green slate to bell-cast and piended slate roof, lead flshings; tripartite wallhead stack on S elevation; broad, corniced sandstone ridge stack on N ridge.

INTERIOR: most of original interior lost, 2 back-to-back deeply-set, round-headed fireplaces with chamfered mouldings survive. Circa 1950s pine and beech panelling throughout; glass fire divisions along corridors; pine doors.

Statement of Interest

The house is one of the few Lutyens designed buildings in Scotland and is a good example of the architect's style at this period.

Princess Louisa, daughter of Queen Victoria and wife of the Marquis of Lorne,later 9th Duke of Argyll, commissioned additions to the Ferry Inn, which had been in existence from the earlier 19th Century. It is likely that Princess Louisa was introduced to the architect by Gertrude Jekyll, who collaborated with Lutyens on a number of designs. The design requirements comprised the addition of a wing containing reception rooms and bar with bedrooms above. The drawings in the RIBA vary from the executed designs and the inn as built shows more Scots Baronial deatailing than Lutyens original design. The inn was used as a convalescent home for soldiers recovering from the Boer War. The interior was gutted when used by the American Navy. The present owner, a boat dsigner, refitted the interior with pine and beech panellings. Ferry Inn Cottage, originally the rear half of Lutyens extension, is listed separately.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q1408133

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

• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Care and Repair
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  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
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  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)