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Summary

Description

David Bryce, dated 1851, incorporating panelling from earlier house. Baronial mansion, partly destroyed by fire circa 1947, and partly rebuilt. 4-storey tower with low 2-storey service wings. Squared and snecked sandstone with chamfered arrises, roll-moulding to principal windows of entrance tower. String course dividing floors of 2-storey wings at intervals. Fine heraldic panels. Crowsteps.

TOWER:

N (PRINCIPAL) FRONT: 2-bay to entrance court, 3rd floor jettied on moulded corbel course. Right entrance bay gabled and advanced, round- arched doorway with roll-moulded surround and rope moulded hoodmould and knot label stops. Approached by broad steps with panelled and corniced piers, ball finials and stone balustrades, stone seats. Window above to each floor, that in gablehead at 3rd floor with Renaissance surround, framing colonnettes with annulets and keystoned semicircular pediment; stack at apex. Bay to left with small window and gunloop slit at ground, armorial shield in panel above, window to stair landing above again and corbelled bartizan to 4th stage with conical roof, small window, window to right breaking eaves in steep, scroll-adorned Renaissance pediment.

S (GARDEN) FRONT: evidence of fire damage in exposed wall, 1 later window inserted, broad wallhead stack flanking gable and further bartizan to outer right. Single storey flat-roofed additions/reworkings at ground.

E AND W (SIDE) ELEVATIONS: crowstepped gabled block abutting at ground to garden side with gunloop and heraldic panel to otherwise blank gable to entrance court, recessed door flanked by windows to side elevation and gabled conservatory addition to gable of garden front. Tower with window to left of gabled addition at ground, carved heraldic cartouche above ground in rubble masonry to centre and right. More finished stone in bay to left. Side above 2-storey wing with dressed masonry, irregular windows and with bartizans (mentioned above).

2-STOREY WINGS: ENTRANCE COURT: principal 3-bay wing to left of tower to entrance court with link bay with wallhead balustrade and semi- circular-pedimented bipartite dormerheaded window (dated) breaking through at centre. 3-bays with outer left bay gabled and advanced, window to each floor, pedimented at 1st (detailed as that to gablehead of entrance bay) and with advanced and buttressed stack breaking skew to right in re-entrant angle formed with bays to centre and right, each with out of line windows at ground and pedimented dormerheads to 1st floor windows. Gabled return to right with windows at ground, carved relief of boar chained to tree above motto 'J'espere', to left gablehead, and pedimented dormer to right. To outer left of 3-bay block, recessed pair of single storey service court bays with 2 widely spaced windows and battered corner buttress and stack anchoring composition.

GARDEN WING: extending to right of tower with 2 low link bays, bipartite and door and 2 steeply pedimented dormerheaded windows above. Taller pair of bays slightly advanced to right with rounded corner corbelled to square at 1st floor to left, paired gableheads with stepped corbel table and windows and nautical relief carved between, bipartite window at ground. Single storey bays beyond, closely paired windows to 1st bay, outer right bay gabled, end of service court range.

SERVICE COURT: range abutting house with crowstepped and finialled gables to garden and to right of entrance court. 2 doors to court

(1 to store) and 2 windows. Court framed by finely coped rubble walls and entered from entrance court through buttress flanked gateway with bold circular pediment above and balustrade flanking. Pair of tall corniced ashlar gatepiers framing vehicular entrance to court and abutting stables adjoining beyond (see separate listing), with circular tourelle flanking, conically roofed with door outside of court and arrowslit window within. Cobbled court.

12-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case windows. 2 later timber small-pane casements. Graded grey slates, fishscale to bartizan roofs with leaded ball finials. Coped and crowstepped skews with variety of finely carved finials (crescent, fleuron, fleur-de-lys, ball, cushion pinnacle), and beak skewputts. Some good rainwater heads and downpipes surviving. Stacks with moulded coping.

INTERIOR: not seen, 1997. Apparently containing eainscot panelling from earlier house in entrance hall and stair.

FURTHER WALLS, PIERS AND STATUES: screen wall to right of entrance court with trefoil motifs flanking carved panel and ball finials. Later terrace walls beyond extending to balustraded section. Balustraded wall with piers in front of later conservatory. Low walls with moulded coping defining entrance court and surrounding lawns, with decorative cast-iron urns, pair of large, panelled pedestal piers flanking driveway, each surmounted by sedant, stone Florentine boar statue.

GARDEN SEAT: low ashlar banquette, with moulded coping to back, raised at centre in semicircular panel.

SUNDIAL: mid 19th century cubic sundial on 2-step moulded ashlar base bearing baluster shaft with carved floral ornament and cubic ashlar dial, copper gnomon to each face and crowning ball finial. Sited beyond house conservatory, on sunken garden.

NORTH GATE: George Smieth, 1835. Fine battered ashlar sandstone polygonal gatepiers to drive, polygonal caps with quatrefoil panelled friezes, flanked by decorative iron pedestrian gates and further polygonal gatepiers detailed as those to drive. Long sweep of fine saddleback coped ashlar quadrant dwarf walls with impressive railed ashlar parapets. Coped rubble boundary walls beyond. See separate listing for neighbouring lodge.

EAST GATE: 4 square droved ashlar piers, those flanking drive with cornices and squat pyramidal caps, linked by coped stone quadrant walls.

Pair of vermiculated ashlar gatepiers with low pyramidal caps and polygonal pal stones. Pair of dome-capped drum piers by Kimmerghame Bridge (see separate listing).

Statement of Special Interest

The stables and other components of the estate, including the North Lodge, the Mill, the Walled Garden, Ice House, Water Tower, and Pedestrian Bridge, are listed separately. Part of the site of the original house is now occupied by a sunk garden. The NSA says in 1834 of the previous house that it is 'old but its situation on the banks of the Blackadder is beautiful', this mild apology for its form perhaps explaining the Bryce commission and the new house. Earlier designs for a Jacobean house were produced by William Burn, evidently unexecuted, and fresh drawings produced by his later partner.

References

Bibliography

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