Description

Early 19th century. Single storey with attic and part-basement, 3-bay classical house. Harl with whitewashed rubble to sides, raised ashlar dressings and quoin strips. Eaves cornice. Corniced and pilastered doorpiece; keystoned Venetian windows. Stone mullions.

SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: steps with flanking inset ironwork railings lead to doorstep with simple inlaid compass cross, deep-set 2-leaf part-glazed timber door with decoratively-astragalled fanlight with classical motifs, small pilastered and ball-finialled bipartite dormer over; flanking bays each with decoratively-astragalled Venetian window and pedimented raised-centre tripartite dormer window with moulded and keystoned tympanum and timber finial.

SE ELEVATION: gabled elevation with decoratively-astragalled round-head window to right of centre, Merlin Cottage (see Notes) adjoining at outer right, and small segmental-headed basement door to outer left.

NW ELEVATION: gabled elevation with modern conservatory.

8- and 12-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case windows (some now fixed); dormers with 4- over 2-pane and flanking 6-pane glazing patterns in timber windows. Grey slates. Coped harled stacks with thackstanes and cans. Ashlar-coped skews. Overhanging eaves and plain bargeboarding to dormers.

INTERIOR: decorative plasterwork cornicing; some 8-panelled doors with brass door furniture; panelled shutters and brass sash lifts. Timber-balustered staircase with carved outer-risers and square-section cavetto-coped newel posts.

MERLIN COTTAGE: formerly rear wing of Hawkshaw.

SE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: bay to left with later porch and decoratively-panelled timber door with sunburst-astragalled fanlight; bay to right with projecting slate-roofed bipartite window giving way to tripartite dormer window as above.

NE ELEVATION: asymmetrically-fenestrated elevation with single storey piended and lean-to bays at ground.

TERRACE WALLS AND CART ARCH: flat-coped rubble terrace walls with centre steps flanked by stone lions. Harled cart arch with mutuled cornice, square-section piers with ball finials, decorative ironwork gates and flanking semicircular-coped lower walls.

BOUNDARY WALLS: flat-coped rubble boundary walls.

Statement of Interest

Originally one house which Wood's plan shows as the property of Mr Porteous. Hawkshaw Cottage (to the N) was the coach-house and the building opposite on Comrie Road was the gardener's cottage. On 8th September, 1890, Reverend I A L Campbell of Hawkshaw was granted permission to lay flagstones at the Coldwells at his own expense. During the 1930s and 40s, Hawkshaw was owned by Thomas McAinsh, timber merchant who owned a sawmill at Balgowan, and is known to have introduced (among other things) some garden statuary. The present owner (2001) thinks the staircase may have been imported at that period. Garden statuary includes a 1759 carved sundial (probably conglomerate) with gnomon and incised carving 'MENZIES OF BOHESPIC', a diminutive love-seat and 2 lions replaced in the late 20th century due to theft.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17837286

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

• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)