Description

William J Gray, architect (Coldingham), dated 1846. Asymmetrical 2-storey, 3-bay, Tudor-detailed former manse with gabled projection to front; 2-storey range behind; single storey with attic, L-plan former service quarters forming kitchen courtyard at rear. Coursed and tooled cream sandstone to front; squared and snecked, tooled cream sandstone rubble to sides and rear; sandstone ashlar dressings. Raised base course; stugged quoins; stugged long and short surrounds to chamfered openings; painted, chamfered mullions and transoms; chamfered cills. Single storey with attic, 4-bay, rectangular-plan former stable and coach house to NW.

SE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: step to timber panelled door centred at ground; border-glazed fanlight; chamfered surround; stepped hoodmould; bipartite window aligned at 1st floor. Tripartite window at ground in bay to outer left; bipartite window aligned at 1st floor with ball-finialled gablehead surmounting eaves. Full-height gabled wing advanced to outer right with tripartite window at ground; bipartite window at 1st floor (stepped hoodmoulds to both); shield dated '1846' centred in ball-finialled gablehead.

NE (SIDE) ELEVATION: full-height, ball-finialled gabled bay recessed to outer left. 2-storey, piended projection in subsequent bay to right with bipartite windows at both floors. Single storey with attic former service quarters recessed to outer right with bipartite window at ground off-set to left of centre; gabled bipartite window breaking eaves above.

NW (REAR) ELEVATION: single storey with attic range projecting to left with bipartite window at ground in bay to outer left; modern garage door to right. M-gabled house set behind with large stair window at centre.

SW (SIDE) ELEVATION: blind elevation to full-height gabled bay projecting to outer right. 2-storey bay recessed to left with 2-leaf, glazed door at ground; 2-pane fanlight; bipartite window aligned at 1st floor. Kitchen courtyard wall adjoined to outer left obscuring former service quarters behind.

4-, 5- and 6-pane glazing narrow timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roof; gablet-coped skews; bracketed skewputts. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Corniced sandstone apex stack to SW; octagonal can; brick-built wallhead stack at rear; circular cans; coped sandstone ridge stack to service block; cans missing.

GARDEN WALLS: tall, heavily-pointed, coped rubble walls enclosing garden to SW; tooled cream sandstone rubble dressings.

BOUNDARY WALLS: rubble walls partially enclosing site. Square-plan, coursed sandstone gatepiers flanking main entrance; pyramidal caps; timber vehicular gate.

FORMER STABLE AND COACH HOUSE: harl-pointed rubble; cream sandstone dressings. Tooled quoins; tooled long and short surrounds to opening; projecting cills. SE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 3-bay stable to right with boarded timber stable door centred at ground; gabled dormer breaking eaves above; surmounting wind vane; single windows flanking at ground. Former coach house to left with 2-leaf boarded timber cart doors. Roofless, lean-to addition recessed to outer right. Part-boarded windows. Grey slate roof; stone-coped skews; iron rainwater goods. INTERIOR: boarded timber stalls in place; hayracks; iron columns; open timber ceiling.

Statement of Interest

Recorded in the OS Name Book as "...a fine square built commodious house built in 1846 and situated close to the church." One of only a few remaining, relatively intact designs by local architect, William J Gray. According to Gray's TREATISE, "The elevation, ground, and chamber plans of this edifice, erected in 1846 ... will be found to realize the distinctive features due to the important class of buildings to which it belongs." It is recorded as having cost ?795. Although the plate depicting the entrance elevation differs slightly from that which was built (the cartouched and consoled lintels having been replaced by stepped hoodmoulds, the pilastered and corniced doorpiece replaced by a chamfered surround, the 1st floor windows lowered beneath the eaves and that to the right having lost its gablehead), the majority of details remain intact - the layout, glazing and roof arrangement all virtually as they were when first complete. This "..elegant new manse" (Hardy) replaced an older structure said to date from 1718 (NEW STATISTICAL ACCOUNT). Now in private ownership, the house ceased being a manse in the 1950s.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17846786

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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  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
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  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
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  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
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  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
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  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)