Description
Early 16th century, additions 1649 and RW Billings, 1857-59, restored and converted 1980s. 3-storey, square-plan courtyard, castellated country house now flatted. Keep with caphouse to centre, enclosed by flanking wings and courtyard wall opposite.
KEEP: early 16th century. 3-storey with caphouse, 3-bay, rectangular-plan. Bartizaned parapet; billeted corbelling, round angle towers. Squared red sandstone, yellow ashlar quoins. W (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 4-centred-arch doorway to centre, bead-moulded architrave, roll-moulded to reveal, angled panel frames bearing Hamilton ciphers flanking arch; gunloop to right. 2 offset arrow slits to 2nd storey, outer right bay. Paired, tall, architraved windows to centre of 3rd storey. Crowstep-gabled caphouse; coped gablehead stack, panel frame bearing Hamilton of Dalzell arms to gablehead. E (REAR) ELEVATION: narrow window to centre, entrance to right, tall narrow window to 2nd storey centre. N (SIDE) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining N wing. S (SIDE) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining S wing.
NE WING: circa 1649. 3-storey, 4-bay, rectangular-plan, crowstep gabled block. Squared red sandstone with yellow ashlar quoins and margins to openings. E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: Base course, continuous stugged hoodmould to 1st floor windows. 2nd floor added by RW Billings, 1857-59; shoulder-arched windows below corbelled and crenellated parapet. 4-stage, square-plan stair tower added to NE corner, battered to octagonal embattled parapet. W (REAR) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining N wing. N (SIDE) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining coachhouse and stables. S (SIDE) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining keep.
S WING: circa 1649. 3-storey, 7-bay, rectangular-plan, gabled block. Pedimented windows breaking eaves with strapwork to tympanum, stair tower with candle-snuffer roof to SW corner. Squared red sandstone coursers. Crowstepped gables. N (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 3-storey, 4-bay; 3-stage, corbelled stair turret candle- to centre, small gunloops. Triangular-plan Billings addition to outer left return, small pedimented windows to 2nd and 3rd floor. Small half-gable end, window to ground to right. S (GARDEN TERRACE) ELEVATION: 4-storey, 7-bay, slightly irregular fenestration. Pedimented dormers breaking eaves, gabled roof dormers. 4-stage, corner tower to far left candle-snuffer roof. Billings addition full-height gabled, canted bay to centre, bowed oriels flanking canted oriel to centre of 1st floor with billeted fan corbelling. Gabled attic storey with corbelled bartizans, flat-roofed, bays behind gablehead. Engaged 2-stage, stair tower to right return. E (SIDE) ELEVATION: panel frame to gablehead, projecting battered, chimney flue to far right, terminating in coped wallhead stack. W (SIDE) ELEVATION: window to left, pediments with strapwork tympani carving. Courtyard wall abutting to left return, stair tower to right.
N WING: RW Billings, 1857-59. 3-storey, 5-bay, L-plan, gabled block. Octagonal stair tower to NW corner, crowstepped gables. S (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 3-stage, engaged stair tower to centre with candle-snuffer roof, asymmetrical fenestration. Gabled dormerheads breaking eaves to 2nd floor. Pointed arrow slit with small diamond-shaped window to centre of 3rd storey. Engaged, 4-stage stair tower with small, bartizaned gabled caphouse to S return. Narrow recessed links to main body of N wing to left and keep to right. N (REAR) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining coach house. Corbelled machiolation to 1st floor. W (SIDE) ELEVATION: stepped stringcourse between floors, bipartite 3-stage, octagonal-plan stair tower to NW corner.
INTERIORS: converted into 16 apartments in late 1980s. Billing's Jacobethan interiors preserved throughout including coffered wood panelling and plasterwork, doors and fireplaces. Principle apartments: drawing room (flat 7), free standing carved timber Corinthian columns; library (flat 6); banqueting hall (flat 8); billiard room (flat 16) and vaulted entrance hall.
Predominantly 12-pane sash and case windows. Grey slates, lead flashing. Coped gable stacks and skews, skewputts. Cast-iron rainwater goods.
COURTYARD WALL: later 17th century curtain wall, heavily altered by RW Billings, 1857-59. 7-bay wall with central walkway behind parapet. Red sandstone coursers and yellow sandstone ashlar. Cavetto moulded cornice supporting embattled parapet, stepped to link to angled square-plan, corbelled corner turret to S; arrow slits, incised star-shaped cresting. Large segmentally-arched carriage entrances to N and S outer bays; roll-moulded to reveals and hoodmoulded. Arcaded interior elevation; continuous plinth, banded columns with corbelled capitals; diamond-shaped openings above, short nailhead mouldings beneath, continuous hoodmould.
WELLHEAD: RW Billings, 1857-59. Canopied stone wellhead within courtyard. Plinth, banded columns, guilloche moulding to entablature, rope moulded cornice, conical roof, ball finial. Grey, fishscale slates. Decorative wrought iron screen.
STEADING: RW Billings, 1857-59. Predominantly single storey, rectangular-plan courtyard block. Half gabled entrance tower to N. Squared and tooled yellow sandstone coursers. Crowstepped gables, regular fenestration and converted entrances facing courtyard, blind exterior walls. N (ENTRANCE) WING: 2-storey, Single bay, square-plan entrance tower to centre with gablet-roofed belfry. S (REAR) WING: 2-storey, 4-bay. Mansard roof. E (SIDE) WING: W facing. Single storey with exposed basement to W, 5-bay. Flying entrance steps to stepped central doorway. 3-bay link to main house adjoining to left. 3-bay, shallow columnar arcade to ground, small gabled caphouse. W (SIDE) WING: 2-storey, 4-bay block to centre. 3-stage, square plan, gabled clock tower to centre rear, set at angle.
TERRACED GARDEN: later 17th century, altered by RW Billings, 1857-59. Extensive 3-tier, steeply terraced garden; long, narrow rectangular-plan terraces. S facing overlooking Dalzell Burn gorge. Squared sandstone coursers with ashlar ovolo moulded semicircular-arched coped parapets. TIER 1: adjacent to house. Entrance from park to far left; stepped coping to square-plan piers nailhead boss ornament, moulded pyramidal caps. Recessed steps from front esplanade of house, caps with segmental pediments to square-plan piers, strapwork carving to tympani. Recessed steps to centre to 2nd tier. TIER 2: corbelled bartizans to outer corners. Small flight of steps up to small mezzanine terrace to far right. Door in outer wall to far left, steps down to 3rd tier. TIER 3: quadrant corners, 3 horizontal terraces running down from right to left.