Description
Clushmill House is a two-storey and attic, three-bay, symmetrical former farmhouse designed in a plain classical style and built sometime between 1861 and 1891. The house is rectangular on plan with a single-storey, L-plan service block attached at the rear. There is a detached single-storey, rectangular-plan stable block at the northwest of the house with three stable doors at the front. Clushmill House and stables is located to the northeast of the village of Lundie in Angus.
The principal (south) elevation of Clushmill House is constructed in snecked rubble and built of random rubble elsewhere. There are long and short window margins, slightly projecting cills and stugged quoins. The front elevation has a flat-roofed, single-storey stone porch to the centre with cornicing to the eaves and an entrance door at the left side. The stable block is constructed in random rubble and has some brick infill on the front elevation with irregular stugged quoins. There is a conservatory (dating to around 2017) attached to the east elevation and a single-storey kitchen extension (dating to around 2017) attached to the west elevation of the L-plan service block at the rear (these are both excluded from the listing).
The windows in Clushmill House are predominantly replacement 12-pane, tilting, timber framed windows. The remaining windows are of varying sizes and are a mixture of sash and case and casement frames with varying glazing patterns. There are two flat-roofed, double-width dormer windows in the north roof pitch with six-pane glazing. The stable block has a window in the east gable and rooflights in the south roof pitch.
The house has a piended and slated roof with shouldered and corniced end chimneystacks. There are cast iron rainwater goods with decorative hoppers on the front elevation of the house. The stable block has a slated roof with a brick chimneystack on the east apex.
The interior of Clushmill House has some late-19th century features, such as deep skirting, decorative timberwork, fireplaces and moulded plaster cornicing in the principal ground floor rooms. The remainder has been modernised but is in keeping with a 19th century period style, including replacement fire surrounds and picture rails. The staircase has decorative cast iron balusters and a polished timber handrail.
In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: early 21st century conservatory on the east elevation and early 21st century single-storey extension attached to the west elevation of the rear service block.
Historical development
The land and farm at Clushmill was part of the tenanted farm holdings of the Earl of Camperdown. The exact date of construction of Clushmill House is unknown but the house was built sometime between 1860 and 1900. It is shown on the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1900 as a rectangular-plan house with an outshot at the rear forming an L-plan building. A central porch is shown projecting from the front (south elevation).
The 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1860 shows an earlier farmhouse to the east of a corn mill with an associated U-plan steading. The Ordnance Survey Name Book of 1857-61 describes Clushmill as a substantially built, one-storey dwelling with a small garden, offices, 12 acres of land and corn mill. It notes Clushmill is the property of the Earl of Camperdown and occupied by Andrew Falconer who sublet the corn mill to Mr Sime (OS1/14/66/30). The 1881 census indicates Andrew Falconer, his wife and son continued to live and work at Clushmill, employing one domestic servant, two farm servants and a lodger, an agricultural servant, who lived nearby in Clushmill Bothy.
The current listed building record (dating to 1992) describes the house as a mill house, however it is likely the earlier, single-storey Clushmill House was linked to the former Corn Mill. The current two-storey building that replaced it was built as the farmhouse for the farm at Clushmill.
Later Ordnance Survey maps show the footprint of Clushmill House remains largely unaltered since that shown on the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map. The current listed building record notes that the stables to the northwest may include earlier-19th century stone from the earlier mill house and its associated outbuildings.
Statement of Special Interest
Clushmill House and stables continues to meet the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:
- The farmhouse demonstrates quality of design and construction in a well-proportioned, restrained classical style.
- The building retains its late-19th century architectural and historic character, in particular its plan form.
- The historic setting of the house and stables has been largely retained and their survival show the status of Clushmill Farm.
- It is associated with an area of Scotland that was known historically for its agricultural economy.
In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: early 21st century conservatory on the east elevation and early 21st century single-storey extension attached to the west elevation of the rear service block.
Architectural interest:
Design
Clushmill House is a well-proportioned and restrained classical style farmhouse. While it is later in date than Improvement period farmhouses of the late-18th to late-19th century, its design is typical of higher status farmhouses of this date. The design quality of Clushmill House is particularly evident in its symmetrical front elevation and its corniced, central stone porch. The windows have been replaced in a traditional material and glazing pattern.
As a prosperous farming region of Scotland, Angus farms often showed a marked separation between the principal house and the workings of the farm. This can be seen at Clushmill, where the farmhouse is detached within its own garden, the house has its own stables, and the principal elevation faces away from the working areas of the farm. The overall design of Clushmill House therefore reflects the social status of the farmer. The 1st and 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey maps highlight how Clushmill developed into a prosperous farm in the later-19th century.
The plan form is typical for its building type and date with large, symmetrical rooms at the front leading off a central hallway and a large central stair. The L-plan service area at the rear of the house is lower in height and stylistically plainer than the main block, which may indicate that it was built a little later than the main house, but not significantly later in date as it is shown on the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map.
The interior retains some late-19th century features which are typical of farmhouses of this date and adds to the interest of the building. These features include moulded plaster cornicing, deep skirting and timber panelled doors. The remaining interior decorative scheme is in keeping with the 19th century historic character and style of the house and includes replacement fire surrounds.
Setting
Clushmill House is located about six miles northwest of Dundee in an elevated, south-facing position, and holds a commanding view of the surrounding farmland. The house is accessed via a track and the front elevation of the house is visible from the minor road to the south running between Pitermo and Thriepley. The elevated position of the farmhouse shows the importance of the farmhouse and the social status of the farmer, as having a level of detachment from the work of the farm itself.
The immediate setting of Clushmill House is largely unchanged from that shown on the 2nd Ordnance Survey map of 1900. It remains within its own garden, surrounded by mature trees, shrubs and herbaceous borders and lawns, and also retains its associated stable block.
Historic interest:
Age and rarity
Farmhouses are not a rare building type in this area but those that demonstrate quality of design and construction and which remain to a large degree in their original form, may have interest in listing terms.
The late-18th century/mid-19th century was a period of significant improvement in farming practices across Scotland as small-scale subsistence farming gave way to the creation of larger, commercial farming practices. Clushmill was operating as a farm and as a corn mill before the current farmhouse was built (as shown by census records from 1851).
Angus is predominantly a farming region and its rural landscape is characterised by agricultural built heritage. The construction of Clushmill House between 1861 and 1891 highlights the prosperity of Clushmill Farm in the late-19th century, as indicated by its size and scale.
Clushmill House and stables is not a rare survival, however it is a good representative example of a later-19th century farmhouse built to reflect the increased prosperity of the farm at Clushmill. They are of interest in listing terms because the late-19th century plan form, character and setting remain largely intact.
Social historical interest
Social historical interest is the way a building contributes to our understanding of how people lived in the past, and how our social and economic history is shown in a building and/or in its setting.
Agriculture was, and continues to be, central to the economy in this part of Scotland and there were once a number of large farms operating in this area of Angus. The survival of 19th century farmhouses directly illustrates the area's agricultural and social history. Clushmill House and stables are a good survival of a style and form that is typical of historic farmhouses in this area of Scotland.
Association with people or events of national importance
There is no association with a person or event of national importance.
Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2020. Previously listed as 'Clushmill Mill House, including stables'.