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Summary

Description

George Washington Browne, 1883-5. 2-storey and attic, 3-bay predominantly Shavian Old English half-timbered villa, with gothic and Arts and Crafts details, in use as hotel. Squared and snecked rock-faced pink sandstone, with polished chamfered margins. Base course; cavetto-moulded eaves course. Long and short quoins. Stone mullions and transoms.

Northwest (Principal) elevation: 3-bay entrance elevation; steps and coped wall to roll-moulded pointed-arch Gothic doorpiece centred at ground, comprising shouldered door with decorative hoodmould and blocked stops, vesica fanlight centred in trefoil-headed arch-head; bipartite window above. Advanced gabled bay to right, comprising 4-light window at ground, with 2-light windows to returns, advanced canted bracketed window at timber-framed first floor, advanced bracketed window in gablehead; decorative bargeboards. Canted 4-light window surmounted by panelled blocking course in bay to left at ground; window at first floor above.

Southwest elevation: 3-bay, comprising regular fenestration at ground, window at centre with gabled hoodmould, bipartite window to right; bipartite window to right at first floor; pair of windows flanking centre at attic.

Southeast elevation: ground obscured by later storage additions; single storey and attic wing built out to right at ground, with swept-down roof to left; glazed timber door centred in gablehead. Narrow 2-panel timber door with multi-pane glazed upper panel in former window opening to right of centre at first floor, bipartite window to right.

Northeast elevation: 6-bay; 4-bay gable to right with buttress-inglenook rising to first floor at centre and right, decorative central flue rising through gablehead. Shouldered doorpiece with 9-panel timber door and bipartite plate glass rectangular fanlight to left at ground, window in penultimate bay from left; pair of small lancet windows with hoodmoulds to right. Tooled square panel with projecting ashlar block above centred at first floor, bipartite window to left of centre at first floor; pair of windows flanking flue at gablehead. 2-bay single storey and attic wing to left, comprising tripartite window to left of centre, window to right of centre.

Variety of fenestration, predominantly sash and case with timber small-pane glazing, with some stained glass and leaded lights. Rosemary roof tiles with tiled terracotta ridges; half-timbered slate-hung dormer at principal elevation, pair of slate-hung dormers to rear elevation; skylights. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Multi-flue gablehead and ridge stacks, and stack breaking pitch; coped, with circular cans. Coped skews.

Interior: not seen, 1999.

Statement of Special Interest

Professor J. Cossar Ewart (1851-1933), Professor of Natural History at Aberdeen University (1879-82) and Edinburgh University (1882-1927), commissioned Craigiebield House in 1883. On its completion in 1894 the house was tenanted by Robert Craig Cowan of the famous paper making family, who lived in the house until 1908. In 1910 Professor Ewart moved to the house where he lived until his death in 1933.

Professor Ewart had previously lived at 'The Bungalow', 25 Bog Road (LB46805) between the years of 1895-1905. Whilst living at 'The Bungalow' Professor Ewart bred hybrid zebras in enclosures within the grounds as part of his 'Penycuik Experiments' into heriditary traits and hybridisation.

This zoological interest is echoed in the carved animals in the corbels of the bay window at Craigbield House.

Updates to Description and Statement of Special Interest sections in 2017.

References

Bibliography

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