Description

Predominantly early 19th century, 2-storey, 4-by 3-bay asymmetrical villa incorporating 18th century single-storey and attic cottage to N and with 2 advanced bays to W and S; highly distinctive fenestration. Harled with slim ashlar margins. Raised cills. Piended dormers to former cottage. Some bipartite window openings.

ELEVATION TO W: 3-bay symmetrical former cottage to left with large central nepus gable with window opening. Central entrance door with moulded architrave and datestone carved with R Mc HE 1763 above. Advanced, taller, 2-storey 3-window rounded bay to R with conical roof over bay.

PRINCIPAL ELEVATION TO S: asymmetric. Off-centre flat-roofed porch with Doric columns and internal part-glazed timber entrance door with multi-light fanlight above. Shallow tympany gable with stack to far left. Advanced canted bay to right, composed of 3 broad bays.

INTERIOR: (seen 2010). Original plan form largely extant, with some later alteration to ground floor of cottage. Two curved staircases, one to later extension with decorative metal balusters and both with timber handrails. Simple decorative cornicing throughout. Variety of decorative fire surrounds, some stone. 6-panel timber doors, 2 in entrance hall with semi-circular fanlights above.

Predominantly timber sash and case windows with small multi-pane glazing to lower sashes and a variety of geometric patterns formed by timber astragals to upper sashes. Graded grey slates. Coped wallhead stacks with decorative cans.

BOUNDARY WALL: coped rubble wall to W, N and S. Steps at W lead to beach.

Statement of Interest

This is a fine example of an early 19th century seaside villa, aggrandised from a small, single storey cottage and with a highly unusual variety of glazing patterns. The windows add significantly to the interest of the house as they are remarkable in their variety and quantity that have survived.

The cottage, which may be a fishing cottage, dates from the 18th century. The datestone above the entrance door with the initials seems to be a marriage stone and may indicate a time when the cottage was raised with an attic floor. The cottage can be clearly identified in the context of the house. The larger 2-storey section is thought to have been added around 1800. It may be that the canted bay to the South was added before the bay window to the West, but exact dates are not currently known. The footprint of the house on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1857 is similar to that of today. The interior decoration and room size reflect the different building dates of the house and add to its interest.

By the 19th century, Fairlie was developing from a small fishing and weaving village into a place where wealthy merchants were buying and aggrandizing the small cottages. It was a popular place for ships to anchor and the wealthy ship owners bought houses in the area. The development of the village continued with the arrival of the railway in 1880. Fairlie Lodge is thought to have been one of the earliest cottages to be extended.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77782011

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

• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)