Description

Earlier 19th century with later 19th century additions and 20th century alterations. 2-storey, 3-bay gabled farmhouse with L-plan byre ranges forming asymmetrical U-plan courtyard to E (front), enclosed by coped boundary wall with corniced gatepiers; circa 1860 ruinous 2-bay extension adjoining to rear. Sandstone and whinstone rubble (formerly harled) with sandstone ashlar dressings; some brick additions and alterations to byres. Eaves course; raised quoin strips; window margins.

HOUSE: late 20th century piend-roofed porch to centre of E (front) elevation; regular fenestration. N elevation: M-gable with byre adjoining main house to left; circa 1860 addition to right with later doorway at ground and blocked pigeon loft with alighting-ledge at gable apex. W elevation: regularly fenestrated 2-bay addition to left with large windows; fenestrated single bay of original house recessed to right. Blind gables to S with byre adjoining original house.

Non-traditional uPVC windows to original house; sash and case windows to addition with 12-pane glazing at ground and 4-pane glazing at 1st floor. Coped gablehead stacks to original house with thake-stones and yellow clay cans. Ashlar coped skews. Graded grey slate to original house; temporary roofing felt to addition.

INTERIOR: flagged hallway; curved sandstone staircase; late Victorian painted cast-iron chimney piece with scrolled brackets and foliate motifs in sitting room; contemporary decorative cast-iron fender.

N RANGE: (former threshing barn). L-plan, partly un-roofed. Raised ashlar margins to most openings. Timber-boarded door in E elevation. S (principal elevation to courtyard): 2 square-headed vehicle entrances to centre; slit window to outer right; arched vehicle entrance to left of centre; doorway to outer left with flanking slit windows. 3 slit windows to E gable. N elevation largely rebuilt in red brick, slightly behind original wall-line. Piended roof to N corner.

S RANGE: simple L-plan byre, adjoining house. Early 20th century lean-to brick addition in courtyard re-entrant angle. Asymmetrical gable to E (see Notes). 20th century tripartite window to W (rear). French door to left of S elevation; later addition advanced to right.

SE BYRE: later 19th century. Gabled byre. Whinstone rubble with long and short droved sandstone dressings. Irregular openings. Corrugated iron roof.

BOUNDARY WALL, GATES AND GATEPIERS: corniced gatepiers with chamfered corners, recessed panels and pyramid caps. Simple, lower pyramid-topped gatepiers flanking to each side for pedestrian gates (S foot-gate walled up). Coped quadrant boundary walls. Cast-iron gates.

Statement of Interest

A good example of this type of 2-storey, 3-bay farmhouse, occupying a prominent position on the road. It probably dates from the 1830s: the farm is not shown on any of the early 19th century maps, although there is a farm called 'Lee' on Roy's map of 1747. The plastic windows are unfortunate, but the North wing is very fine (despite its dilapidated state), and unlike anything else in the Parish. A horse mill shown on the OS maps shows that this wing formerly contained a threshing barn. Comparison with other farms of this type (for example, Mains of Aiket), would suggest that the section of this wing closest to the house probably contained the stable. The rear elevation of this wing is rather peculiar, as the original wall appears to have been dismantled, and rebuilt in red brick several feet inside the original wall line. The South byre is a lot plainer than the North range, but although it appears to have been altered several times, it is almost exactly the same shape as shown on the 1st edition OS map. The addition to the rear of the house was built between the publication of the 1st and 2nd edition OS maps, possibly in the 1860s.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata IDs Q77781297 Q77781302 Q77781305 Q77781309

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

• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)