Description

Mid to later 19th century with later additions and alterations, particularly in 1924. Single storey 3-bay ashlar house with some rendered repairs. Base course; Tudor hoodmould to each opening; moulded surrounds and stone mullions and transoms; quoin strips.

NE ELEVATION: 2-leaf panelled door with square-plan Tudor-arched arcaded porch with octagonal piers; ashlar ribbon to NE above arch (see Notes). Bipartite ashlar transomed and mullioned window in bay to left, hoodmould stepping up at centre. Bay to right advanced and 2-storey with 4-light canted window at ground, swept to square at 1st floor (with shields carved to each section of swept section); tripartite window with stepping hoodmould as above.

SE ELEVATION: 5-bay; moulded eaves course. Partly-blinded doorway in bay to centre (now window); Tudor-arched doorpiece with "I love them that love me and those that seek me early shall find me" carved to architrave. Bipartite ashlar transomed and mullioned window in slightly advanced bay to right of centre. Bay to outer right slightly advanced with slightly further advanced shouldered chimney breast, breaking eaves, with shield carved at eaves height. Bays to left of centre each with advanced tripartite ashlar transomed and mullioned window flanked by diagonal buttresses (formerly with dormerheads above eaves, now with cat-slide roof). Diagonal buttress to outer left of elevation.

SW ELEVATION: much altered. Stepped and gabled end wall to hall to outer right with tripartite ashlar transomed and mullioned window, each upper light now blinded and cinquefoil-headed; weathervane at apex (see Notes). Sandstone coped wall extending to left now with modern lean-to sunroom-porch. Wall projecting from outer left now incorporating entrance to garage.

Timber windows. Slate roof with ridge tiles. Elongated rendered wallhead stack to outer right of SE elevation; ashlar coped stack to ridge between bays to left of centre, SE elevation; various other stacks. Profile guttering.

INTERIOR: not seen, 1996.

GATEPIER: ashlar square-plan coped.

BIRD BATH/FOUNTAIN: cast-iron with octagonal shaft to bowl; shaft above with bulbous section surmounted by bird; arms extending out from which chains and bell pendants.

Statement of Interest

The building was built to be the school for the daughters of the heads of each department on the Blackadder estate. The NE section of the building was the school teacher's quarters. The single storey section to SE was the school room itself. In 1915 the building suffered from a severe fire and it remained a ruin until 1924, when it was rebuilt. It was at this time that the stack to outer right, SE elevation, was elongated; the carved ribbon now found to the porch (NE elevation) was formerly on the chimney breast. Other more substantial alterations were made to the building. The cans were formerly all candy-twisted and now some of these can be seen in the garden (one being recently made into a pedestal for a sundial). There was also a bellcote to the gablehead to SW elevation, where now there is a weathervane. It served, after the renovation work in 1924, as a fishing lodge and since then has remained residential.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77772464

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

• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)