Documents

There are no additional online documents for this record.

Summary

Description

Later 16th century/early 17th century two-storey, three-bay, bastel house with later alterations and additions including an 18th century forestair, mid to later 19th century wing to north with adjoining outbuildings. The house is constructed in rubble, rendered around 1991. Grey slate roof (not original) and skews removed. Later glazing throughout.

East (front) elevation: later rubble forestair to door at first floor with rubble lean to alongside obscuring slit openings at ground floor. Later timber porch to first floor doorway, flanking windows enlarged 18th/19th century with raised concrete margins, one partially blocked. Later full-length box dormer to attic. Traditional entrance to vaulted basement is in the north gable behind later wing.

South (gable) elevation: original window close to crown of arch vault formerly with pair of original slit openings at low level; enlarged window at first floor.

Interior: barrel-vaulted basement with traditional features. Small internal stair access to first floor and five slit windows mostly blocked. A single slit survives on west long wall; harl conceals, blocked opening at upper level above. There is part of an engraved headstone built in to the ground floor interior wall of the front elevation (right hand bay). A section of this reads: PORTIONER IN EIS / WHO DIED JUN.

Mid to later 19th century wing: two-bay addition with adjoining single-bay piended wing to north gable, squared rubble with contrasting cream raised ashlar dressings and deep eaves course. Door with window to right at ground level, window to lower wing. Large rubble outbuilding adjoining to north with ashlar dressings, large vehicular slapping to south.

Statement of Special Interest

A lintel dated 1607 and bearing the initials "SF" and "DL" was removed from a first floor fireplace and now forms a step in the garden. The stone gives a probable date for the house although it could be earlier. Bastel houses were stone built defensive farmhouses, unique to the Border Country of both Scotland and England, built in the late 16th/early 17th century for protection against raiders during the lawless period in the Borders. They provided siege accomodation for livestock on the ground floor and people above, reached only by an internal stair or external ladder, the forestair was probably added in the 18th century when all defensive need had passed.

The thick walled stone-vaulted basement provided fireproof protection for livestock. The original basement entrance in the south gable with two draw bar tunnels, and the basement's cobbled floor, slab and feeding troughs survived until relatively recently, sheep were the predominent livestock. The wall thickness reduces at the upper level, the roof would have been slated for additional fire protection.

Other, mostly ruinous examples of Clydesdale bastel houses have been located in particularly high concentration to the west of the Clyde, including Snar (NS 862200), Glendorch (NS870188) and Glenochar (NS946139). Other examples are Windgate House (NT016273) and Carnwath Mill (NS997454); all of these examples were under archaeological investigation (1991). The Nemphlar Bastel is "the star of the project to date" (Ward).

The tombstone in the interior wall has a inscription with the word 'portioner', which is a term in Scots Law meaning the proprieter of a small estate or piece of land resulting from the division of a larger piece of land.

Listed building record updated in 2019 to include reference to the headstone found in the ground floor interior wall of the house.

References

Bibliography

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.