Description

Haxton & Walker, 1911. Symmetrical near-intact 2-storey Arts and Crafts double villa with distinctive 4-bay M-gabled street elevation sweeping steeply down to integral open porches to outer bays with unusual squat columns. Whitewashed harl. Overhanging eaves.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: N (street) elevation with canted bay windows to ground floor and tripartite windows above partly within gables. Slit openings above. Integral open porches to outer bays with 4 squat columns to upper part, lower part harled. Deeply recessed multi-panelled timber entrance door with small pair of leaded glass panels and 8-light rectangular fanlight above.

Central projecting lower piend-roofed scullery and wash-house wing to rear, No 52 altered with patio doors.

Timber sash and case windows, predominantly 9-pane or 4-pane over plate glass. Graded grey slates. Whitewashed harl ridge stacks. Cast iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: (No 52 seen). Good interior scheme in place with fine stained glass window, single segmental consoled and corniced arch and 4-panel timber doors to hall. Simple geometric timber balustrades and handrail to staircases. Some fine joinery work to chimneypiece and integrated cabinet to front ground floor room.

BOUNDARY WALLS: low squared and snecked sandstone wall to Hepburn Gardens with gabled coping.

Statement of Interest

This carefully proportioned Arts & Crafts double villa by local architects Haxton & Walker contributes significantly to the streetscape of Hepburn Gardens. The distinctive whitewashed harl M-gabled street elevation, which sweeps steeply down at the outer bays to the integral porches with their unusual half-height squat columns, is particularly striking. Its street elevation is near-intact and there have been remarkably few alterations to the other elevations. No 52 retains a good interior scheme high quality joinery work and stained glass. Haxton & Walker was a respected local practice based in Leven. The partnership was created in 1907, but following the First World War Walker was not able to resume the practice and Haxton practised alone. Their output between 1907 and 1914 was varied and included schools, offices and villa commissions.

50-52 Hepburn Gardens was built for a Mrs Armit and also goes by the name of Orwell East and Orwell West. The name comes from the Parish of Orwell (Milnathort, Kinross) where Mrs Armit was born. The villa was built at a cost of £1,000.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77780282

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

• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)