Description
John Murray Robertson, 1891; single storey addition to E in wholly compatible style, circa 1918. 2-storey, L-plan villa, made T-plan by single storey addition. Red brick in stretching bond, ashlar cills, piended slate roof, gauged and corniced brick stacks. Base and 1st floor band course to main house composed of string course and dentil course formed by bricks laid at angle. Segmental-headed sash and case windows, plate glass to bottom, multi-pane to top. Cast-iron rainwater goods; mannered cast-iron finials to roof.
W ELEVATION: single storey, pentice-roofed entrance porch to left re-entrant, door recessed under open porch with turned columns,
2 paired windows to left return, stair window and further window to main elevation above. Advanced gable to right, paired and single window to ground floor, door formed from window at 1st floor left with modern canted balcony, window to right. Service wing recessed to left, 2 windows (1 formed from door) to ground floor, 1 to 1st.
S ELEVATION: original house to left, 3-bay, symmetrical; glazed door to centre flanked by windows, 4-light canted windows to left and right with roof extending over centre bay forming verandah, canted window to 1st floor centre, bipartite window to left and right, ridge stack and stack to off centre right rising through pitch of roof. Slightly recessed single storey wing to right; door flanked by windows as original house (but with original door design), 4-light canted bay to right, ridge stack, right return gable blank.
N ELEVATION: single storey and attic service wing advanced at centre, later converted to garage, 3 windows to left return elevation,
2 dormers adjoining wallhead stack; 1 window at ground floor and 2 to 1st at E gable of original house; door and window to single storey addition recessed to left.
INTERIOR: some original chimneypieces; plain moulded cornices; simple pierced timber balusters.
COACH HOUSE/STABLE: single storey and attic, rectangular-plan coach house and stable. Red brick, piended slate roof with decorative cast-iron finials. Boarded segmental-headed doors with astragalled fanlights, sash and case windows, plate glass to bottom, 6-pane to top.
W ELEVATION: door to centre, wider stable door to left, window to far left, carriage entrance to right with sliding door, 2-leaf hayloft door with semi-piended roof; door to left return gable, door and window to right return gable.
THE CAIRN LODGE: single storey, rectangular-plan lodge with wedge-shape addition to W. Stylistically compatible with main house, though simpler. Red brick, piended slate roof, oversailing ridge stack. Door flanked by windows to main elevation, window to left return; door and various windows at addition.
GATEPIERS AND ENCLOSING WALLS: 2 ashlar gatepiers with curvilinear caps, adjoining flat-coped rubble built quadrants and wall; brick wall to E.
Statement of Interest
The Cairn was built for Henry Prain. The drawings show there were originally turned columns to the verandah at the south elevation, similar to those existing at the entrance porch. The single storey addition to the east was reputedly added for a man who had lost a leg during the First World War. The Cairn Lodge (in separate ownership) and the Coach House/Stable are listed specifically for their relationship to The Cairn.
External Links
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
Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)