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Summary

Description

Dated 1857 with later alterations. 2-storey, 3-bay villa with Baronial details, finialled gables (shaped gablets, breaking eaves to N) and multiple diamond-set stacks; square-plan entrance porch with ball-finialled dies to angle piers and stepped, round-arched gables; 4-light canted window at ground to slightly advanced gabled bay to N; square-plan courtyard of single storey, piended ancillary ranges to rear, (S), with plain square-headed entrance to E. Squared and coursed rubble with polished sandstone ashlar dressings. Base course; string course between floors; corniced eaves course. Moulded and chamfered reveals to windows; stone mullions; long and short quoins with slightly raised strips to angles.

N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 2 blank panels below simple traceried, 4-centred-arched bipartite window to advanced entrance porch in bay to centre; scrolled date panelled to pediment; moulded 4-centred-arched doorway to left return; timber-panelled door with stepped angles to panels; 4-centred-arched fanlight; blank scrolled frame to pediment above; blank round-arched panel to gablet over bipartite window at 1st floor to main block above. Bipartite window at each floor in bay to left. Blank panels below 4-light canted window at ground in advanced bay to right; tripartite window with taller central recess at 1st floor; small oculus to gablehead above.

W (SIDE) ELEVATION: 2-bay main house: bipartite window ground with gabletted bipartite at 1st floor above in bay to left. Bipartite window at each floor in slightly advanced gabled bay to right; small oculus to gablehead above. 5-bay service range to right (S): modern, part-glazed boarded door in 2nd bay from left; window in each bay remaining.

E (SIDE) ELEVATION: full-height shouldered flue to centre of slightly advanced gabled bay to right of centre, continuous as gablehead stack. Single window at ground with gabletted window at 1st floor in bay to left. Courtyard entrance to left with blank elevation to ancillary range to outer left.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: irregularly fenestrated. Single storey gabled projection at ground to centre; gable over stair window above. Single storey gabled projection at ground to left; 2 narrow lights set to right of gable above; gablehead stacks. Gablehead stack to slight advanced, blank, gabled bay to right. Caithness flagstones to square-plan courtyard.

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roof; stone ridge; stone slabbed and ridged skews; bracketed, gabletted and plain block skewputts; dressed rubble coped stacks with tall sandstone ashlar, corniced shafts; uPVC and cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: timber skirting boards, architraves and panelled doors; decorative cornices and shutters to most rooms extant; fielded ceiling to entrance hall; shallow, 4-centred arch over stairwell; decorative cast-iron, floreate balusters with timber handrail to stairs.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATEPIERS: drystone rubble walls with rubble cope to S of main house; coped, ball-finialled, square-plan sandstone ashlar gatepiers; cast-iron gates with anthemion-headed shafts.

Statement of Special Interest

A crisply detailed house originally built in isolation to the west of Kirkwall, overlooking the bay. Its tall diamond-set stacks, shaped and finilalled gables and bold entrance porch add architectural interest. Evidence exists in the Kirkwall archive to suggest that a much earlier building occupied this site. On 26 February, 1796, Robert Yule of Kirkwall wrote to William Watt complaining of the ruinous condition of the house at Glaitness which was rented as a charity school. He also asked William Watt to sell a portion of land between Hornesquoy and the road to Scapa for the building of a new schoolhouse.

References

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