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Summary

Description

Probably originally later 18th century; much altered in 1830's and also later/late 19th century; early 20th century internal alterations by Robert S Lorimer. 2-storey villa with single-storey section to E. L-plan extended to form square. Bow window and stepped gable to principal/S elevation. Crockets from St Giles Cathedral used for decoration on house and in garden. Harled and limewashed exterior with sandstone ashlar dressings (droved to principal/S elevation). Ashlar coping to gables.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: stone step up to entrance to centre of main 3-bay section of house; stopped roll-moulded reveals and 2-leaf panelled timber door. 2-storey bowed tripartite window with ashlar architrave and mullions to right bay. 2-light window with ashlar mullion, lintel and sill to ground floor of left bay; gabled canopy supported on decorative wrought iron brackets supporting cast-iron bell and with timber bargeboards and stylised bird finial above to left; single window with ashlar lintel and sill above and one over door (sill inscribed '1867 R.L.S 1880'). Single storey section with single stepped gable to right; moulded Gothic stone crocket above each of flanking sections; single architraved window.

E ELEVATION: single storey section with single window to right projects to left; single window to right return; single architraved window to first floor of main body of house behind. Window with stone sill to right and architraved window below. Flat-roofed section to right has ground floor entrance with concrete architrave (inscribed 1760) to right; single window to left and 2 irregularly disposed windows above.

W ELEVATION: gable end of main body of house to right; single window with stone lintel and sill to right of first floor. Flat-roofed section to left has 3 windows to ground floor; one bi-partite with stone mullion; 2 bi-partite windows to 1st floor.

N ELEVATION: built into rock; largely blank with low stepped parapet.

Mainly timber sash and case windows (those to principal elevation are all 12-pane). Grey slate roof to main L-plan body of house; slightly stepped flat felted roof to rear extended section. Gablehead stacks to either end of original L-plan section (N gable partially obscured by flat-roofed extension); also one ridge stack and one wallhead stack; 3 stacks to flat-roofed section, including one wallhead at NE corner; all stacks coped and with round cans.

INTERIOR: present layout largely dates from early 20th century, including various internal fittings by Robert Lorimer; carved stone fireplace surround in kitchen in NE corner by Lorimer; dated 1908; decorative shield at centre; flanking inscriptions 'COELUM NON SOLUM' and 'R.L.S.1867.1880.'. Adam style fireplace surround in front room with bay window. Timber panelling in front room to W incorporating lugged fireplace surround with naive painted panel of ship above.

BOUNDARY WALL: rubble retaining wall with rubble coping encloses large garden to south of house. Rubble sided water channel with culverts runs E/W across garden. STONE TROUGH inscribed 'COMISTON 1676' immediately to S of house. TERRACE to W of house with rubble wall and parapet surmounted by 9 moulded Gothic stone crockets (tenth propped up to one side) with carved stone cross at centre. 2-storey single-fronted harled OUTBUILDING immediately to E of house of late 19th/early 20th century date.

Statement of Special Interest

Predominantly a later/late 19th century building incorporating remains of an earlier 19th century cottage ornee (and possibly some 18th century remains). Architecturally it is notable for its picturesque qualities, including the use of Gothic crockets, both on the house and, most notably in the garden terrace; also for some of its early 20th century internal fittings, including panelled room and fireplace surrounds by Robert Lorimer. Probably it is most notable for its associations with the author Robert Louis Stevenson whose family leased the cottage from 1867 to 1880 using it mainly as a summer residence. It provided considerable inspiration for Stevenson and is described in some detail in his last novel St Ives (as providing a refuge for the escaped Napoleonic prisoner-of-war of that name). The cottage was originally built by the city of Edinburgh magistrates for their own use when inspecting the water springs that were established here in 1760/61. A sketch of it dating from the 1830's now in the Writers' Museum show it as a thatched cottage ornee with a single storey S elevation with central bowed bay with flanking lower height sections each with single stepped gable (that to right is probably one still in existence to E) and a 2-storey rear wing (the remains of which may be visible in the older architraved window on E side). It appears to be at about this time that a number of crockets and gargoyles that were being removed from St Giles Cathedral during its renovation by William Burn were brought here to decorate the house and garden. The cottage was extended to the W for the Stevensons in 1867 to include a drawing room, a bedroom for Robert Louis and a spare room. It was extended to the N in the 1880's by the subsequent occupant, Dr William Taylor. Various internal alterations were carried out by Robert Lorimer for Lord Charles John Guthrie, who took over the tenancy in 1908. A former friend of Robert Louis Stevenson he had his name commemorated in the initials on the sill of the window to his former bedroom (S elevation) and the new fireplace surround he had installed there (which has since been removed to the kitchen on the N side of the house).

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