Levenbank, 12 High Street, Kinross, Kinross, Perth and Kinross

Description

Levenbank is a two-storey, with attic and basement, four-bay, classical style villa dating from around the late 18^th to the early 19^th century. It is rectangular on plan with early to late 19^th century additions to the side and rear. The house is constructed in droved sandstone ashlar. It is accessed by a private driveway from the High Street and is set back behind a front garden and boundary wall.

The main (east) elevation was probably originally three-bay but extended in the late 19^th century by one bay to the south in a similar style. It has an off-centre entrance with a pilastered doorpiece with diamond-pane rectangular fanlight. There is a two storey-stable/hay loft attached to the north. The rear (west) elevation is four-bay, rubble-built with a slate-roofed, single-storey addition abutting the ground floor, and an advanced central two storey gable with chimneystack.

The windows are a mixture of glazing patterns in timber sash and case frames, predominantly 12-pane throughout on the ground floor and four over four on the roof dormers and the front and rear. The main entrance has a timber-panelled door with a decorative-pane fanlight.

There is a pitched slated roof and two end chimneystacks with thackstanes, and one off-centre chimneystack. The chimney cans are modern clay. There are two piended-roofed dormer windows with four-pane sash and case windows, and one dormer at the rear with a 20^th century rooflight. The rainwater goods are predominantly plastic.

The interior has some decorative features dating from the late 18^th or early 19^th century, such as timber panelled shutters, ceiling roses, moulded cornicing and picture rails in the principal ground floor rooms. There are some decorative fire surrounds and iron fire inserts. The central curved timber staircase has painted iron balusters and a painted timber handrail. The layout comprises principal rooms on either side of a central hallway with a curved staircase to the rear. The ground floor principal room was reconfigured in the late 20^th century. There is a trap door with stair access to the basement.

The boundary wall fronts Kinross High Street and is constructed in random rubble with dressed copings. The vehicular entrance is offset to the left. There are two rounded, ashlar sandstone gatepiers with rounded caps. The gate is later 20^th century decorative iron.

Historical development:

The exact date of construction of Levenbank is unknown, but it was likely built sometime between the late 18^th century and early 19^th century. The house is first shown on Wood's Plan of the Town of Kinross of 1823 as a property belonging to Dr Annan. On this map Levenbank is shown as a largely rectangular-plan house with two rectangular-plan adjoining outbuildings at the north creating a roughly L-plan footprint. A large, enclosed front garden is shown at the front of the property (east) and carriageway to the south of the garden. The historic plot of the house on this map is largely as it appears today. It is positioned within an L-shaped plot of land. In the early 19th century this area of Kinross was characterised by detached villas set within their own plot of land.

The 1^st Edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1854, published 1857) shows Levenbank as an irregular-plan house with further extensions attached on the south and west elevations.

Levenbank appears to have been used as a doctor's residence throughout the 19th century. The Kinross-shire Advertiser advertised Levenbank for sale on 14 April 1888. The house is described as two storey and attic, which consists of two principal rooms, six bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and other conveniences. The advertisement also mentioned a stable, hay loft, shed with large garden at the rear and extensive grounds in the front and that the house was a well-known Doctor's residence, occupied by Doctor Smythe at the time.

A further row of outbuildings is shown to the rear of the building on the 2^nd Edition Ordnance Survey (25 inch) map (surveyed 1895, published 1896) forming a U-shape plan form with the main house. By 1895 the house had been extended to the south, creating the current form of the building, with one extra bay to the left of the front elevation.

Statement of Interest

Levenbank meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

Levenbank is a good surviving example of a late 18^th to early 19^th century classical villa that is substantially unaltered and retains its historic character.

The survival of its historic plot and associated outbuildings add to its interest.

Its immediate setting, set back from the High Street within boundary walls and gate piers, is substantially unaltered since the early 19^th century.

It is a good surviving example of a late 18^th to early 19^th century villa built within the historic town of Kinross, contributing to our understanding of the early expansion of the High Street.

Architectural Interest

Design

Levenbank is a good surviving example of a late Georgian detached villa built in a classical style. It is one of the earliest surviving villas of this period in Kinross. The modest scale and restrained classical architectural details remain substantially unaltered. Its principal elevation fronts east towards the High Street, facing the County Buildings (1826), and contributes to our understanding of the late 18^th and early 19^th century expansion of Kinross High Street.

Its design quality is particularly evident in its largely symmetrical front elevation with its evenly spaced large windows and pilastered doorpiece. Although the architect of the house is not known, we know through documentary evidence that this was a house for the town surgeon/doctor and therefore a house with a degree of status.

Levenbank has been little altered externally and the building displays simple but good detailing, including the pilastered doorpiece with fanlight. The materials used in the design are not unusual for buildings of this type and date, but the ashlar stonework is of good quality for a relatively modest villa. The stone is likely to have come from a local quarry and the way it has been used shows good workmanship.

The design of the principal elevation appears to be largely unaltered from the late 19^th century. The alterations at some point in the late 19^th century, which include the two-storey additional bay to the left of the principal elevation, complements the original earlier 19^th century symmetrical design and the two construction stages are clearly distinguished. The addition of the additional bay to the south (left of the front entrance) in the late 19^th century was in keeping with the materials and overall style of the original building and it retains its early 19^th century character. The lack of alterations and additions to the house since the 19^th century adds to the special interest of the building in listing terms.

The footprint of the building was altered in the later 19^th century by the various additions, however the early 19^th century rectangular plan with rear outbuildings is clearly discernible. The L-plan outbuilding range to the west, that includes the former stable and hay loft, adjoins the main house and remains largely unaltered since the late 19^th century.

The interior retains a number of features of the late 18^th to early 19^th century decorative scheme. These include fire surrounds, grates and inserts, cornicing, panelled doors, window surrounds and stair. These features are typical for a villa of this date, but their survival adds to the special interest of the building under this heading.

The large, principal rooms are located at the front of the building, accessed from a central hallway and landing, which is served by a curved iron stair with timber handrail. This arrangement is typical for a villa of this date and type, but its retention is of some interest.

Setting

Levenbank is located on Kinross High Street, set back from the road with a substantial front garden and boundary wall. The house is positioned opposite Kinross County Buildings (LB36288), built in 1826. Although the villa is not particularly prominent building in the streetscape, it is located in an important part of the late 18^th century and early 19^th century extension of the High Street surrounded by early 19^th century civic buildings. These include the Municipal Chambers, 18 High Street (LB36285) and The Bank House, 2 High Street (LB36286).

The house is located within the boundary of Kinross Conservation Area. This area of Kinross High Street dates from the town expansion to the north from the later 18th century and is characterised by large plots of classical style buildings. There are a number of public and civic buildings set closer to the street and some private villas, such as Levenbank, with front gardens set further back from the High Street.

Levenbank's immediate setting within its own, largely secluded garden, set back from the High Street with boundary walls and gate piers, is substantially unaltered since the early 19^th century. The plot the building is set in is as it appears on John Wood's Plan of the Town of Kinross of 1823. The former stable and hay loft building in addition to the other outbuildings to the north and rear contribute to the historic setting of the house and suggest the grounds may have had a functional use as a service yard for horses and carriages, although this is not confirmed.

The wider setting has been altered by the addition of a 21^st century housing development immediately to the west. The neighbouring garage (late 19^th century) at 10 High Street has been demolished.

Although there have been changes to the setting of Levenbank with the modern development at the rear of the villa, key elements of the 19^th century setting, notably the plot and view to the County Buildings (LB36288), are remain unaltered and contribute to the character of the villa.

Historic Interest

Age and rarity

The date of Levenbank is not known but it was likely built between the late 18^th century and early 19^th century and before 1823 when it appears on Woods Map. The design of the property, particularly the even spacing of the windows at the first floor and their position very close to the eaves, supports this late 18^thto early 19^th century date. It is likely that the boundary walls, gatepiers and some of the outbuildings were built around the same time.

Villas of this size dating from the late 18^th and early 19^th century can be found across Scotland and are not rare. However, Levenbank is of special interest as it is a good surviving example of a classical style villa that displays a simple classical form and retains much of its late 18^th to early 19^th century fabric and historic character. Villas that retain their associated outbuildings are rarer and add interest under this heading.

All buildings erected before 1840 which are of notable quality and survive predominantly in their original form may be of special interest. Levenbank remains substantially unaltered, with only some internal changes having been made during the 20^th century.

Social historical interest

Houses are a very common building type, and they all have a degree of social historical interest because they show how people lived. Levenbank is one of the earliest surviving villas of the late 18^th and early 19^th century expansion of Kinross to the north.

The survival of the outbuildings, including the stable and hay loft as well as the rectangular rear plot is of some social historical interest for what it tells us about how such villas, which would likely have used horse drawn carriages, functioned during the late 18^th and 19^th century.

Through much of the 19^th century Levenbank was the house of the local doctor. An advertisement in the Kinross-shire Advertiser dated 14^th April 1888 describes Levenbank as a "well-known doctor's residence". The house would therefore have had a degree of prominence in the town at this time.

Association with people or events of national importance

There is no association with a person or event of national importance.

There is a local historical association with Dr Robert Annan, a surgeon in Kinross who is known to have lived at Levenbank from at least 1823. Doctor Robert Annan was recorded in the 1841 and 1861 Scotland Censuses as a surgeon in Kinross and married to Susanna Skelton. He is mentioned several times in The Annals of Kinross-shire and The Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal. He died in January 1864 and his obituary stated he worked as a regular practitioner in Kinross for 51 years (Dunfermline Press, 1864). He appears to have been a notable figure in the town of Kinross, contributing to local history research.

Other Information:

Kinross was a staging post on the Great North Road, the main route between England and Scotland from medieval times until the 20th century. It was used by mail coaches and Levenbank's functional outbuildings, carriageway and large plot suggest its possible use along this route, although this cannot be confirmed.

Historic Environment Scotland holds an original letter from Dr Annan to the 19th century Scottish artist, James Drummond, explaining the history of Kinross Market Cross, along with a drawing of the cross, (DP 203495, DP 203496 & DP 203497).

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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