Sunnybrae House, Galashiels Road, Walkerburn, Innerleithen, Scottish Borders

Description

1857 for David Ballantyne; large later 19th century addition. Original 2-storey, 3-bay, rectangular-plan traditional house with advanced gabled bay and single storey chapel to W and attached later 2-storey, multi-bayed villa of similar style with unusual entrance to SE and distinct gables and bowed windows. Harled and painted with painted sandstone angle margins, base course and window dressings; sandstone shouldered entrance rising into faux pediment. Skew gabled with moulded putts and fleur-de-lis or spike finials. Bracketed eaves to later house.

ORIGINAL HOUSE:

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: stone step leading to central entrance door with painted margins, bipartite window to right, slightly advanced 2-storeyed gable end to left with tripartite window to ground floor (wide central window with narrow side lights) and bipartite window to 1st floor, gablehead terminating in ball and spike finial; central window at 1st floor, identical window to right with gablehead rising above with now blind narrow window to centre. Later villa adjoining and advancing to extreme right; former chapel adjoining (see below).

W ELEVATION: to right, end of main house with central window to ground and 1st floor, single storey canted entrance adjoining left angle with single storey gable-ended chapel sited to NW; pitched roofs of main house and extensions rising behind canted entrance. CHAPEL: long single storey stone chapel, central semi-glazed entrance door to S, long bipartite windows with stone mullions to flanks and blind slit window to gablehead. To E, high stack rising from wallhead but elevation concealed (adjoining rear extension of main house). N elevation obscured by single storey flat-roofed extension with piended roof.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: to extreme right, single storey ends of chapel and main house concealed by flat-roofed harled extension. For rest of elevation see villa below.

E ELEVATION: adjoining larger villa.

VILLA:

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 2-storey, 4-bay with unusual entrance porch to extreme right angle (SE corner). Entrance: pair of sandstone shouldered surrounds with chamfered arrises and pediment (with wreath and scroll detail) clasping corner and forming open entrance porch with timber panelled door in N wall; semi-circular flight of step leads into E surround, S surround enclosed by balustraded and buttressed terrace. 2 windows to left of door with 3 regularly placed bays to 1st floor (left window is bipartite); to left of elevation, advanced stepped gable with 3-bay bow window to ground floor (tripartite window with single windows to flanks), heavy sandstone parapet surmounting; tripartite window to 1st floor with inset square stone to gablehead with quatrefoil detail; fleur-de-lis finial surmounting.

W ELEVATION: shaped gable with window to ground floor right, 1st floor with shaped angle arris and central window; stone gablehead surmounting. Villa adjoining earlier house to left.

N ELEVATION: to right, rear of house (see above). Advanced hipped end to centre with door to ground floor right, squared arched entrance to ground floor of left return with 3 regularly placed bays to 1st floor, flat-roofed bipartite dormer to right of attic with 2 roof lights to left. Adjacent to left, recessed Dutch-gable end with large round-arched staircase window to 1st floor (2 round-arched lights with central roundel surmounting). To left, arch-ended bay (adjoining E elevation to left, see below) with window to ground floor left and paired bays to 1st floor; roof light to attic; right return not seen.

E ELEVATION: entrance to angle at ground floor left (see S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION) with long window to right and bipartite window aligned to 1st floor. To rest of elevation, 2-storey advanced gable end flanked by semi-circular bows: central gable-end with window to ground floor right; to left, 3-bay bow window to ground and 1st floor (bipartite window to centre with single window to flanks, taller windows to ground floor); to right, arched angle: ground floor not seen but stone bipartite window to 1st floor with parapet rising from lintel. Arched elevation continues to meet N ELEVATION.

8 and 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows of earlier house, 4-pane side lights to tripartite window. To later house, mostly plate glass glazing in timber sash and case windows to entrance elevations; 8 and 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows to rear; some multi-pane casement windows to rear attic dormer; assortment of roof lights (some original 2-pane cast-iron Carron lights, other modern); plate glass windows to chapel and stained glass of square quarry with decorative roundels to stair windows. Pitched and piended purple slate roof to original house and villa which also has Dutch-gable roofed section surmounting staircase, a platformed extension and semi-conical roof to bow window bay. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods, some barley-sugar downpipes survive to principal elevation of villa. Tall coursed ashlar roofline stacks to house with varying surviving cans; stack to villa of similar style, also ashlar gablehead stacks (actual gable end wall higher than gable, forming gable parapet) with moulded neck copes and harled to exterior of elevation.

INTERIOR: large rooms to later house with high ceilings and ornate cornicing, some plaster ceiling roses; timber skirting boards and panelled doors (including 2-leaf entrance door). Interesting entrance hall with tiled floor and panelled walls. Large inner hall with timber open-well half-turn staircase with elaborately carved newel posts (elongated and stylised acanthus leaves terminating in decorated ball finials) and barley-sugar balusters with elaborately carved upper sections. Simple former chapel adjoining older house, now further accommodation.

Statement of Interest

Until the middle of the 19th century, the only trace of habitation in this area was Caberston farmhouse and steading. The village of Walkerburn grew up around the textile mills of Tweedvale and (later) Tweedholm of Henry Ballantyne, the founder of the village. He was also responsible for the earliest workers' housing and laying out the village we see today. By his death in 1865, Walkerburn was a flourishing manufacturing village with a population of just under 800 people. The company and the welfare of its staff were passed to his five sons until 1870 when 3 of them left to run a mill in Innerleithen. David and John Ballantyne remained in charge of the Walkerburn mills and set about improving not only their own housing, but also the amenities of the village. This house was originally a lot smaller and resembled Tweedvale House, their father Henry's home. After his death, John built a commodious villa to the east called Stoneyhill. A pair of lodges and some stables were added to the communal entrance of the sons' villas and a lodge added to their father's former home. It is likely that the large extension to David's house was added around this time as it shares stylistic similarities with the new buildings. 3 Ballantyne houses stood grouped together on this side of the road (all listed separately). Although each had their own private gardens, a large part of the land was laid out with walks and grassed areas accessible to all properties; this property also has its own rockery and grotto. This house remained within the Ballantyne family into the 20th century, but it was sold along with Stoneyhill and used as a convent and retreat house. It has now reverted back to residential accommodation. Its lodge and stables (by Pilkington) are listed separately. Listed as a good example of a mid-19th century villa with addition and for its historical importance as a Ballantyne property.

External Links

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