Description

Mid 19th century 3-bay 2-storey symmetrical farmhouse with single-storey wings on either side. Coursed droved cream sandstone with ashlar dressings. Squared, snecked red sandstone rubble to sides and rear. Canted bays to ground floor. Band course above first floor and at eaves. Single range of farm buildings and small walled garden. S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical elevation, with slightly recessed single bay piended wings. Flat-roofed canted bays with shallow parapet to ground floor. Central bracketed tablet at eaves level.

E ELEVATION: irregular fenestration; one window in main block, two in ground floor wing.

N ELEVATION: regular fenestration; irregular in size; blocked window second from left on ground floor. Two windows to west wing

W ELEVATION: Side entrance and single window to single storey wing.

Central 6-panelled timber doorway in raised surround; letterbox fanlight with margin glazing. Boarded side door with margin-paned letterbox fanlight to. 8-pane sash and case windows with square-pane or lying-pane glazing throughout. Piended roofs; blue slate with modern flashing. 2 prominent wallhead chimneys to each end wall; rebuilt in brick. Clay cans.

INTERIOR: timber shutters and linings with fan detail to window heads. Foliate cornices to main reception rooms. Cast iron balusters to stair. Lion-head and acanthus corbels to cross-corridor arches and entrance hall. Stone floor to service corridor.

OUTBUILDINGS: Small single-pitch outhouse (kennel?) immediately to west of the house. Squared rubble sandstone, modern corrugated iron roof and boarded timber door.

Single surviving W range of farm buildings consisting of cartsheds with granary over. Squared snecked rubble. High-level windows to all sides. Blue slate roof. Cart arches to E with polychrome brick segmental arches and chamfered pillars. Gabled granary door above central arch. Short projection from demolished N range survives.

3-walled garden enclosed by burn to S. Walls of squared rubble with triangular capstones.

Statement of Interest

Mainhill House is a good example of a plain yet formal farmhouse of the mid-19th century for a medium-sized farm. Some good internal features and all of the square-pane glazing have survived.

The farm at Mainhill (Meanhill) appears on early maps such as Roy (1745-7), Ainslie (1821), Crawford and Brooke (1843),but the house is recognisable on the OS First edition (c.1863) which shows an earlier walled garden to the SW of the house The surviving range of the farm buildings is not contemporary with the house and was built sometime towards the end of the 19th century, probably at the same time as the present walled garden.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17847696

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

• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  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)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)