Documents

There are no additional online documents for this record.

Summary

Description

John Smith of Darnick, circa 1826. 2-storey and basement, 3-bay rectangular-plan Classical house, with advanced pedimented central bay and piended roof. Small-sized dark whinstone rubble with cream sandstone ashlar dressings; red sandstone dressings to rear elevation. Base course on front and side elevations; eaves course. Tabbed window margins. Regular fenestration to front; irregular fenestration to rear.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: single-leaf, 6-panelled timber front door, with astragalled sidelights and fanlight; tripartite window at first floor level. Pediment ornamented with segemental recess. Round-arched staircase window to rear. Small circular structure beyond NW rear corner of house, built into retaining wall, probably a coal cellar.

Predominantly 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Margined stacks with yellow clay cans. Welsh slate roof. Cast-iron rain water goods.

INTERIOR: largely intact early 19th century interior. Enclosed stone-flagged porch with access to public rooms. Curving stone stair at rear with iron balusters and narrow mahogany handrail running from basement to upper floor; stair window flanked by niches. Segmental- headed arches supported on decorative brackets in upper hall. Dining room with panelled dado and vestiges of buffet niche in cornice. Original plasterwork throughout, particularly fine in principal rooms. 6-panelled doors.

WALLED GARDEN: situated on sloping ground to W of house, rubble walls with rounded cope. Entrance gate at SE corner.

Statement of Special Interest

Situated facing S on rising ground within extensive garden grounds. The house was built for Thomas Scott who was a lawyer in Melrose and was built and designed by John Smith of Darnick who did much work for Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford. The house appears on John Wood's map of Melrose, published 1826, and was therefore probably complete before that date. This house is remarkable for the fact that apart from a small rear porch it is largely unaltered; this or similar porch appears on OS 1st edition maps and was presumably a very early addition. The red sandstone dressings on the rear are said to have come from Melrose Abbey.

List description updated at resurvey (2010).

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.