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Summary

Description

William Carruthers Laidlaw, 1906 with later additions and alterations. Large 2-storey and attic roughly Z-plan house with main house to E and S of entrance forecourt, and single-storey service wing (now 12b Spylaw Park) extending behind to E. Semi-octagonal entrance tower, corbelled to square at 2nd floor with V-oriels and pyramidal roof in re-entrant angle. Verandah to S (with later alterations). Gabled dormers breaking eaves at first floor; flat-roofed dormers to attic. Deep bracketed eaves and bargeboarded gables. Tapered wallhead stacks. Cream-painted harling with red sandstone cills and other dressings.

FORECOURT (N AND W) ELEVATIONS: entrance tower in re-entrant angle; timber panelled door with brass door furniture in roll-moulded architrave with blank tablet above; flanking round buttresses with semi-pyramidal caps; small windows to each side of tower at first floor; V-oriels at 2nd floor; coped parapet above with raised corner sections; pyramidal roof with weather-vane. W elevation to left, irregularly fenestrated with bracketed canted window at ground, and tripartite window at first floor; coped and rendered screen-wall to outer left; arched gateway with sandstone keystone and timber-boarded gate. N return with bipartite window at ground and gabled bipartite dormer above. N elevation to right of tower, irregularly fenestrated with tall tripartite staircase window and tripartite dormer in attic; advanced piend-roofed section to outer right with bipartite windows at both floors; 1st-floor window breaking eaves with gabled dormerhead.

W ELEVATION: advanced gable to right; piend-roofed 4-light canted window at ground; tripartite window above. Irregularly fenestrated section to left with bipartite window at ground, gabled dormer above, dormer to attic.

S (GARDEN) ELEVATION: 4 bays. Advanced gable to right with tripartite windows at both floors. Advanced single-storey ingleneuk to left with lean-to tiled roof and 2 slit windows; verandah between ingleneuk and gable with lean-to roof and later timber support posts; doors and windows to rear of verandah. Bipartite window to centre of first floor with curvilinear pediment; flanking tapered wallhead stacks; gabled dormerhead windows to outer bays with swept eaves to either side; 2 dormers to attic

E ELEVATION: fairly regular fenestration; 2 tapered wallhead stacks; 12b Spylaw Park (former service wing) advanced at ground to right.

12B SPYLAW PARK (FORMER SERVICE WING): comprising cross-plan former service wing (S and E and part of N wings are modern additions). Irregularly fenestrated with windows and doors.

Predominantly timber sash and case windows with some small-pane glazing. Corniced stacks with red clay cans. Red tile roof with plain ridge-tiles.

INTERIOR: panelled lobby with red tile floor and half-glazed timber panelled door. Timber staircase with cut-out hearts in balusters and newel post carved with lion masks. Timber chimney piece in drawing room (former dining room) with carved detail to centre and brick inset; flanking recessed display shelves with cupboards below; corniced picture rail; elliptical-arched 2-leaf timber panelled doors to adjacent room. Sitting room with dentilled coffered ceiling; timber plate shelf at cornice level; very large ingleneuk with carved entrance arch, timber panelling, built-in seat, timber chimneypiece and bevelled-glass looking-glass above. Panelled ingleneuk in study with timber chimney piece, brick inset; flanking shelves with cupboards below. Timber panelled interior doors, some with very decorative brass doorplates.

BOUNDARY WALL AND GATEPIERS: round-coped random rubble boundary wall, rising at N to form gable of service wing; slightly tapered red sandstone ashlar gatepiers with pyramidal caps; 2-leaf cast-iron gate to 1 Spylaw Ave; foot gate with tabbed ashlar surround and coping continued over to form lintel at 12b Spylaw Park.

Statement of Special Interest

An interesting and quirky house, with a good interior, standing on a prominent position at the corner of Spylaw Avenue and Spylaw Park. William Carruthers Laidlaw was an Inverness architect, and had quite a large practice in that area, although he did have an office in Edinburgh as well. James Burness was a brewer. The verandah and ingleneuk to the South of the house look a bit peculiar. This is because the verandah has been altered at some point. The original plans show that it was intended to project forward slightly more, and continued round in front of the ingleneuk, taking the corner quite broadly and stopping at the bay window on the West elevation. In the late twentieth century the house was been divided into two dwellings, with 1 Spylaw Park formed from the main body of the house, and the service quarters and part of the NE wing forming 12b Spylaw Park.

References

Bibliography

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