Description
Dated 1759 on north wing. Palladian mansion house; 2 storeys
on raised basement with flanking wings. All red ashlar.
House: 3-bay east elevation with early 19th century central
pilastered porch (panelled and studded door in pedimented
doorpiece), flanked by 12-pane sashes in architraves, latter
corniced, with pulvinated frieze; 3 Burlington windows in
round-arched panels at principal floor. Ionic-columned jambs
on plinths; latter probably terminated blind balustrades;
square, architraved windows above (6-pane sashes). Continuous
bands at base and at ground floor level; mutule cornice;
blocking course; 2 symmetrically placed stacks; piended
slate roof. Single window at each level of flanks;
linked by cornice); piended roofs, with graded slates. Low
alterations and fire escapes to rear above, narrow lean-to
service corridor linking wings. Piended, 2-storey wings each
have single bay east front (12-pane sashes), and are linked
to house by quadrant wall with corniced, architraved and
panelled door between alcove niches; inner part of north
wing is earlier. 18th century house, rendered, with advanced
inner bays (gabled on north elevation) and 5-bay south
front. Modern additions to north and to south of wings.
Interior: some decorative ceiling plasterwork of late 18th/
early 19th century, especially in halls and ground floor
rooms: plain top floor rooms. Modern lift shaft in stair
well obscures most of former anthemion-patterned silhouette
balusters. Some painted raised and fielded wooden panelling
survives in earlier house.
Statement of Special Interest
Now a home run by the Leonard Cheshire Organisation.
Built for Alexander Johnstone of Carnsalloch. He is
described in the sasines as a chemist in London, so it may
be that a London architect was employed, and perhaps Isaac
Ware, whose 1756 publication included design of a "House built
for Alexander Johnstone, Esq, in Scotland" (a more expensive
scheme which was probably never done) (see H Colvin,
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS,
1600-1840, 1978, (p866)