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Summary

Description

Dated 1829. 2-storey over basement, 3-bay, near-symmetrical square-plan piend-roofed villa with central clustered stacks, pitch-roofed entrance porch to W, L-plan ancillary range abutting to N; walled garden to S. Squared and snecked rubble with polished sand droved ashlar sandstone dressings. Band course between basement and ground floor; eaves course. Long and short margins to openings; stone canopies over taller ground floor windows; long and short quoins with raised angle.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: window to central entrance porch; blocked window in right return; timber-panelled door with small-pane fanlight in left return; window at 1st floor above. Window at each floor in bays flanking.

S (GARDEN) ELEVATION: window at each floor in bays to centre and left. Window at basement in recessed bay to right; bracketed balcony across bay to window at ground; window at 1st floor beneath bracketed eaves.

E ELEVATION: window at each floor in each bay; (central window at ground blocked).

N (REAR) ELEVATION: ancillary range projecting from bay to left, with timber-panelled door to lean-to entrance porch to internal angle; 2 small window to right return; central window, partially obscured by projection at 1st floor above. Window at ground with blocked window at 1st floor in bay to right.

Lying-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate piended roof; coped ashlar central cluster of stacks; predominantly cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: not seen, 1998.

ANCILLARY RANGE: single storey and attic L-plan COACH-HOUSE range projecting N from main block; harl-pointed rubble with squared rubble and sandstone ashlar dressings. Further harled, detached L-plan STABLE AND BYRE (circa 1715) to N end.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: depressed-arched doorway (cart entrance) with 2-leaf boarded doors at ground in bay to centre; attic window above. Window at ground in bay to penultimate right. Lean-to entrance porch at ground in bay to outer right, abutting main house; attic window above. Boarded door with 2-pane fanlight at ground in bay to left; round-arched boarded hay-loft door with pitch-roof, breaking eaves above. Window at ground in bay to penultimate left. 2-leaf sliding doors to advanced gabled bay to outer left; ogee doocot entrance hole and flight ledge below date panel '1829' to gable above.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: irregularly fenestrated with alternating key-hole slit and blocked pointed arched openings at ground.

Fixed and sash and case timber windows; lying pane windows to rear. grey slate roof; stone ridge; stone skews; tall rubble ridge stack; cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR; not seen, 1998.

WALLED GARDEN: rubble walls enclosing roughly rectangular-plan garden with convex curved N wall; lean-to rubble shed to SW angle; traditional stone slated roof.

Statement of Special Interest

A fine early 19th century villa built on the western reaches of Kirkwall for Lord Dundas of Aske (later, first Earl of Zetland). It has a distinctive clustered central group of stacks and unusual canopied ground floor windows. It retains its original lying-pane glazing pattern and the ancillary range with cart shed, byres and hayloft remains largely intact with interesting key-hole and pointed-arched openings to the W. Unusual in its completeness and crisp quality, it was nevertheless described in 1866 by Sam (?) Sclatter of Hampstead as in 'a most unwholesome condition, in fact a perfect pest house'. His reason for such derision was his notification of the death of Maggie Gold who was living there with her family at the time. Her children were also suffering from whooping cough and the family was urged to clean the house and adjoining stables to reduce the risk of further infection.

References

Bibliography

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