Description
Handsome Georgian-style farmhouse of 1802 (datestone), with associated steading. Complex building sequences, involving use/reuse of a significant amount of early stonework, but all is relatively unaltered in recent years. Fronting Edinburgh/Lanark road (treated below, for simplicity as facing south), house is at right-hand end of group, with low range adjoining, steading ranges form courtyard at rear. Masonry buildings, mostly rubble, slate roofs.
HOUSE: has 2-storeys, 3 unequal and narrow bays to front with entrance bay placed left of centre; corniced and architraved doorway, deeply recessed door with glazed top panels; flat-margined windows, glazing 4-pane sash and case (painted blind window over door shows earlier 12-pane pattern); at eaves, bold mutule cornice in stone. Front wall coursed, squared rubble, ashlar dressings. Skews; end stacks (that to left - ie - west, reduced in height and rendered; asis west gable). Slate roof.
At rear, stonework petterns show a much earlier building has been incorporated (which presumably explains why the house is uncommonly short in length); one stone at wallhead (ie not in primary work) is inscribed and dated 1765; dressed ashlar evidently removed from blocked early openings for reuse elsewhere.
Front Garden has low boundary walls topped by iron railings, and gate. RANGE ADJOINING HOUSE: is single storey, long and seemingly built in 2 stages; part nearest house also in domestic use (and possibly so from the outset) - 3 windows to front with 12-pane sashes; front wall of remainder of range built of squared rubble laid in regular courses; droved ashlar dressings; small square opening, chamfered and with raised margins, re-used from 17th/early 18th century building; also re-used early lintel over doorway which is inscribed: IOHN. GRAHM. CHRISTN. SOMMER/UEL (John Graham and Chistian/Christine Sommerville, whose initials appear on a 1739 lintel on steading - see below). Modern shed adjoins at rear.
REMAINDER OF STEADING comprises essentially 3 ranges in U-plan. WEST RANGE has gable to roadside. Built in stages with early work evident on long west flank; 17th/early 18th century opening on N gable may be "ex situ"; NW corner rebuilt in brick. Circular opening in S gable is 18th century and initialled "JG". At S end of E long flank, masonry is diagonally droved ashlar (?re-used here) with horizontally-droved dressings.
NORTH RANGE is also built in stages; 4 doors in long N flank, one with lintel dated 1739 (also initialled IG/CS); on W gable, an unusual ogee-headed small opening with stone shelf - said to be an owl hole.
Elevation to courtyard at E, all early 19th century in appearance. On S side of road, single storey free-standing 19th century range with vehicle openings.