Description

Circa 1880. Single and 2-storey with attic, 4-bay gabled house with irregular gables, jerkinhead roofs and mock half-timbering. Roughly squared rubble with ashlar dressings. Stone and timber mullions, timber transoms.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 3 gabled bays to left (that to centre slightly broader and taller) with 4-light window just to left of centre at ground and rectangular-plan, pitch-roofed 4-light window with single light to each return and half-timbered gablehead just to right; 3 regularly-disposed bipartite windows at 1st floor. Slightly recessed bay to outer right with bipartite window to each floor, that to 1st floor close to eaves.

NE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: steeply-pitched gable projecting at centre with boarded timber door to right at ground and small window immediately to left, further small window at 1st floor and on each return; flanking set-back faces under jerkinhead roof with altered window to ground left, lean-to brick garage extension to ground right and original piend-roofed tripartite dormer window above.

SW ELEVATION: gabled bay to right of centre with full-height 6-light rectangular-plan window with half-timbering between floors and in gablehead; small gabled bay to left with projecting sunroom (half-timbering to gablehead) at ground and small bipartite to set-back face above.

NW (REAR) ELEVATION: variety of elements to asymmetrically-fenestrated elevation, including jerkinhead bay with dominant stack to left, narrow gabled bay with single storey projection to approximate centre and set-back bay to right with leaded glass to tripartite window at ground.

Largely 3- and 4-pane horizontal glazing patterns to timber casement windows with pivoting top lights, some with leaded diamond-pattern glazing pattern; decoratively-leaded tripartite with coloured panel to NW. Grey slates. Red brick Shavian stacks with cans. Overhanging eaves with plain bargeboarding.

INTERIOR: good decorative scheme in place including some moulded plasterwork cornices, timber fire surrounds, panelled architraved doors, timber reveals and soffits, boarded dadoes. Stairhall with corner fireplace and timber-balustered dog-leg staircase with finialled newel posts. Dining room with honeycomb-moulded/ stylised strapwork ceiling, panelled walls and Jacobethan style carved fireplace with stucco frieze (see Notes).

BOUNDARY WALLS: semicircular-coped rubble boundary walls.

Statement of Interest

Originally known as 'The Feu House' and subsequently 'Petersgarth', Embden House was built for Frances Macpherson of Blair House. Nearby Newton Castle also belongs to the Macpherson family and Embden was used as the dower house. The dining room fireplace is thought to be imported.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77779481

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

• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6