Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

OLD CROOKSTON HOUSELB17396

Status: Designated

Documents

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Summary

Category
B
Date Added
22/01/1971
Local Authority
Scottish Borders
Planning Authority
Scottish Borders
Parish
Stow
NGR
NT 42463 52145
Coordinates
342463, 652145

Description

17th century with 19th century additions, possibly incorporating fabric of 15th century tower (E wing - see Notes). 2-storey and garret, T-plan, crowstep-gabled former laird's house comprising rectangular block with later central wing projecting to S. Whitewashed harled rubble with pink and buff-coloured sandstone dressings. Irregular fenestration with chamfered margins. Piend-roofed dormers breaking eaves.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: S ELEVATION: advanced gabled wing to centre of S elevation with fairly regular fenestration to gable and timber door to left (W) return. 2-storey canted window with blocking course to left; 2 dormers above. Half-glazed timber door to right; stone-mullioned bipartite and single dormer above. E wing gable with asymmetrical crowstep (see Notes) and recessed at N (rear) elevation. Irregularly fenestrated with 3 dormers breaking eaves to right.

INTERIOR: kitchen to ground floor with remains of substantial stone fireplace. Former parlour with 18th Century timber panelling to ceiling height. 17th century moulded door surround at ground floor connecting 19th Century S gable wing. Stone turnpike stair rising full height providing sole access to principal rooms on 1st floor.

Predominantly 2 and 4-pane glazing to timber sash and case windows. Grey slate. Coped end stacks and further co-axial ridge stack towards E end. Clay cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

Statement of Special Interest

Old Crookston House is a significant and interesting survival of a substantial 17th century lairds house. It was extended in the 19th Century in a manner that emulates the older fabric, retaining the sense of an homogenous and coherent whole. Its character is predominantly defined by its small window openings, crow-stepped gables and vertical emphasis. The building occupies a prominent site on high ground overlooking the Gala valley.

It is understood that Crookston was acquired by John de Borthwick, younger son of 1st Lord Borthwick, in 1446. Old Crookston was the Borthwick's principal residence until superseded in 1817 by New Crookston House built 0.5 km to the S (see separate listing). It remains in the ownership of the Borthwick family.

The fabric of the E wing suggests that part of an earlier structure is incorporated within the 17th century section. The ground floor chamber here was originally barrel-vaulted and has noticeably thicker walls and truncated crowsteps at NE angle. The Buildings of Scotland: Borders volume notes that this may have been part of a 15th or early 16th century tower house.

In 17th century, the house probably had three main rooms at each floor with kitchen at ground floor centre. The ground floor room to W was refurbished during the 18th century with fielded panelling of that period. The Roy Military Map of 1755 gives an idea of the formal layout of the gardens and grounds at that time.

The house was remodelled circa 1860 emulating the architecture of the older building with the central S-wing addition and bay window to left flank.

List description updated as part of Stow Parish resurvey (2009).

References

Bibliography

William Roy Military Survey Map (1747-55). 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853). Morton Fraser Milligan, Crookston Old House, Heriot, Borders -Letting Particulars (copy with RCAHMS). N Tranter, The Fortified House in Scotland Vol.1 (1970) p102-3. Kitty Cruft, John Dunbar and Richard Fawcett, The Buildings of Scotland: Borders (2006), p204.

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.

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Printed: 28/03/2024 20:12