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Summary

Description

Probably Peddie & Kinnear, later to late 19th century. 2-storey, 3-bay Baronial gabled house with 3-stage pavilion-roofed entrance tower and fretwork bargeboarding. Squared bull-faced rubble with stugged and polished ashlar dressings. Base course. Keystoned and voussoired round-headed door; stepped ropework hoodmoulds; corbels crenellated windowheads. Stone transoms and mullions.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: slightly advanced tower in bay to left of centre (see below), further advanced bay to outer left with hoodmould incorporating blind shield to canted 4-light window at ground, corbelled angles giving way to canted 1st floor with similarly hoodmoulded bipartite window and further corbelling to square angles adjoining gablehead. Lower broad bay to right of centre with slightly advanced, crenellated tripartite window to ground and 2 windows above each breaking eaves into dormerhead.

TOWER: 1st stage with fluted pilasters flanking corniced doorway with ropework-moulded surround, 2-leaf panelled timber door and semicircular plate glass fanlight, all surmounted by stepped pediment with weathered shield on tympanum and flanking dies with squat polygonal finials; single window to 2nd stage with blind shield incorporated into hoodmould giving way to narrow round-headed window with ropework-moulded arrises at 3rd stage breaking corbelled corniced eaves into pedimented dormerhead with small blind roundel; similar windows to E and W elevations; slightly bellcast roof crowned by decorative cast-iron finial.

E ELEVATION: 5-bay elevation (bays grouped 3-2). Bays to left with single window to each floor at centre, that to 1st floor breaking eaves into dormerhead, slightly advanced gabled bay to left with crenellated canted 4-light window at ground and 2 windows above, and projecting crenellated tripartite window to right with bipartite window over breaking eaves into dormerhead. Lower bays to right with small bipartite window to left, single window to right and 2 further windows to 1st floor each breaking eaves into dormerhead.

W ELEVATION: 4-gabled bays. 2 windows to ground and further window to centre above in bay to outer right, 2 closely aligned windows below bipartite window to right of centre, slightly advanced bay to left with bipartite window at ground and single window above, and wide-centre tripartite to outer left ground with bipartite window at 1st floor.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: variety of elements to near symmetrical elevation including broad outer gables flanking dormerheaded window, and boarded timber door with glazed fanlight and small window to left with timber lean to. Enclosed courtyard behind with 4-light transomed stair window.

Mostly 2-pane upper over plate glass lower sashes, all in timber sash and case windows; coloured etched glass to margined stair window. Grey slates, fishscale pattern to tower. Shouldered and coped ashlar stacks with some cans. Overhanging eaves with decorative bargeboarding with pendant and decorative cast-iron finials, plain bargeboarding to N, NE and NW. Cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers and fixings.

INTERIOR: decorative plasterwork cornicing; brass sash lifts; panelled reveals. Tiled entrance hall, timber panelled inner hall (see Notes) with carved timber fireplace and dog-leg staircase with timber balusters and ball-finialled newels. White marble fireplace.

BOUNDARY WALLS: coped rubble boundary walls.

Statement of Special Interest

Birchwood was opened as a hotel during the 1960s. The hall panelling appears to be imported, possibly from an earlier local house. The Baroness de Longueuil is listed as proprietrix of Birchwood Villa in 1901. Attributed to Peddie & Kinnear on stylistic grounds.

References

Bibliography

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