Description

David Bryce, 1858 for Sir Charles Tennant with later lodge; later tower probably circa 1905, RS Lorimer. Segmental-arched Scots Baronial entrance gateway with tourelle and wing wall adjoining later 1?-storey, Baronial L-plan lodge with crow-stepped gables and cylindrical tower in re-entrant angle. Coursed red sandstone ashlar gateway and wall, cream sandstone ashlar lodge and tower. Base course and plain window surrounds to lodge, moulded eaves course to tower.

LODGE:

NE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: advanced crowstepped gabled end with window to ground floor right and central window to upper storey; curved right arris at ground floor leading to corbelled squared upper storey. Taller later cylindrical tower sited in re-entrant angle with narrow window at ?-storey and higher window to left; conical roof decorative lead ball and spike finial surmounting.

SE ELEVATION: crowstepped gable end with gateway adjoining to centre, pair of narrow windows to ground floor left and single window to ?-storey, decorative stone finial to apex; right of gable replaced by later tower.

SW (REAR) ELEVATION: boarded timber entrance door within roll-moulded surround with blind panel above; to left, crowstepped gable end with single window to right and single storey, single bay pitched wing advancing to left (later shallow flat-roofed extension with central window concealing original end) with window in right return; to upper storey, window to right in gablehead.

NW ELEVATION: near blind wall with narrow window to ground floor right, tall wallhead stack (with pitched roof behind) rises to centre; curved arris to ground floor left supporting corbelled squared ?-storey which terminated in moulded putt; single storey wing to right. Low wall terminating in cylindrical piers adjoins to right with similar wall across road forming informal entrance to estate.

8 and 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Pitched slate roof with stone riding, crowstepped gables and kneeler putts; fish-scale slated conical roof to later tower with lead flashing in lieu of guttering. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods with decorative hoppers. Tall ashlar wallhead stack with splayed base, ashlar neck cope and pair of decorative cans.

INTERIOR: near original plan with stair tower, timber skirting boards and doors.

GATEWAY:

NE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: moulded segmental-arched entrance with stepped rope hoodmould terminating in knot label stops, inset decorative panel within stepped parapet which terminates in bartizan to left; moulded coping to all. Lower plain arched wing wall adjoins to left flank (formerly with building behind SE section) with lodge to right flank, see above. SW (rear) elevation of gateway of similar style with plain stepped hoodmould in lieu of rope moulding and date stone in raised parapet.

GATES: pair of later decorative wrought-iron gates with woven dogbars, alternate stylised tulip and leaf finials to mid-rail and stylised paired fleur-de-lis flanking large central tulip to top-rail.

Statement of Interest

Part of an A-Group with all other Glen estate buildings. The Glen estate can be traced as far back as 1296 when Sarra of the Glen swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The estate remained in the family's hand until around 1512, when the grounds became fragmented and parts were sold to neighbouring landowners and families. By the 1700's, there were 2 main parts of the estate, Easter and Wester Glen. Easter Glen was sold to Alexander Allan (an Edinburgh banker) in 1796 for #10,500. At this point, the house was a fairly small plain farmhouse. His son, William Allan (Lord Provost of Edinburgh) was responsible for enlarging and extending the house, the architect being his friend William Playfair (see The Temple, listed separately); even after improvement it was still not regarded as being fit for a landowner's principal residence. The 3.500-acre estate was bought in 1852/3 by Sir Charles Tennant, owner of the chemical works of St. Rollox, Glasgow, for #33,140. The house was by then outdated and not suited to modern family life; he commissioned David Bryce to design a baronial style house, to which a tower (also by Bryce) was added in 1874. This architect of the lodge is unknown but may have been designed by Bryce during a 2nd major phase of architectural improvements to the house and estate by him. The entrance gateway was designed by Bryce in conjunction with the original house and constructed in 1858. The gateway stood alone spanning the estate entrances whilst a lodge sat to the N of the road (roughly where the estate road and the front garden of the present lodge is site). This lodge was demolished and a new lodge built adjoining the entrance gateway. Originally the gateway would have had tourelles flanking the entrance (and looked similar to the courtyard entrance), but the right hand tourelle has been removed and the area obscured by the lodge's tower (which is later). The tower is stylistically similar to those added to the walled garden and stables by Lorimer and appears to date from around 1905 when he was engaged to redesign the fire damaged interior of the house. Tennant continually improved the estate landscape (1860-1890) and was responsible for the building of a school, farm, worker's and estate cottages, walled kitchen garden and kennels making The Glen virtually self-sufficient. Listed as a good example of a Bryce gateway and for its importance at the entrance to an intact later 19th century estate (other estate buildings are listed separately).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17848967

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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  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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