Description
Circa 1840 with late 19th century additions and alterations (see Notes). 2-storey, 5-bay, roughly T-plan, piend-roofed house with single storey wings to outer bays, central nepus gable, canted bay window, tripartite windows to wings, prominent wallhead stacks and slightly lower wing to rear. Coursed, tooled, sandstone ashlar; rendered to rear. Base course, cill course, eaves cornice. Long and short quoins; predominantly raised, moulded window margins with bracketed cills at 1st floor; stone mullions to bipartite and tripartite windows.
NE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 2-leaf timber panelled door in advanced central bay; window above; ashlar-coped nepus with stack. 2-storey canted bay window to left. Slightly advanced bipartite window to right; tripartite windows to wings.
SIDE ELEVATIONS: unfenestrated walls to wings; tall, central, shouldered wallhead stacks. Windows at 1st floor to side elevations of main house (some blind); slightly advanced central wallhead stacks with divided flues joined at cornice.
REAR ELEVATION: 2-storey gabled wing advanced to right with single storey outshot parallel to house; mid 20th century lean-to addition linking outshot to main house. Irregular fenestration.
Predominantly plate glass in timber sash and case windows; some small-pane glazing. Tall corniced stacks with octagonal yellow clay cans. Graded grey slate.
INTERIOR: curved stone staircase with decorative cast-iron balusters and mahogany handrail. Ceiling rose to landing. Some working window shutters. Cornices and 4-field timber panel doors throughout.
STABLE BLOCK: later 19th century. Single storey, U-plan stable block with dormered roof vents and central entrance arch in slightly taller piend-roofed bay. Roughly snecked local whinstone with Locharbriggs red sandstone ashlar dressings; graded grey slate. Eaves course; long and short quoins; raised window and door margins. 2-leaf timber-boarded carriage gates with decorative strap hinges in arched, roll-moulded architrave to main entrance; finialed, gabled dormer above with bracketed cill. Irregular fenestration of small-pane glazed sash and case windows and predominantly 2-leaf timber-boarded doors to courtyard and exterior elevations. 2-bay cart shed with central sandstone pier to NW range. Some original roof lights. 3 corniced stacks with short yellow clay cans.
STABLE INTERIOR: largely intact with paved floors. 4-stall stable with hexagonal green wall tiles and timber-boarded partitions with curved railings above and ball-finialed end posts. 2 loose boxes with tongue-and-groove timber panelling to dado; green tiles above; timber-boarded partitions with cast-iron railings and ball-finialed posts. Tack room with tongue and groove timber panelling and some bridle hooks; steep timber stair rising to groom's room with barley-twist cast-iron balusters and mahogany handrail. Other rooms include carriage shed, foaling boxes and tool stores.
COTTAGE: circa 1800, possibly incorporating earlier fabric. 2-storey, 3-bay, gabled cottage, byre and loft abutting stable block to SW. White-washed whinstone rubble with red sandstone dressings. Eaves cornice. Raised quoin strips, window and door margins. Regular fenestration with 12-pane glazed timber sash and case windows to stable courtyard; irregular fenestration to rear. Corniced gablehead stacks, ashlar-coped skews, graded grey slate.
GATEPIERS: to stable yard. Red sandstone with pedimented caps.
GARDEN BALUSTRADE AND STEPS: arched red sandstone balustrade in front of house (see Notes). Red sandstone steps to garden.
Statement of Special Interest
The stable block is exceptionally well preserved, and should be considered as being of at least equal importance to the house.
Dalmakerran is evidently a farm that prospered greatly during the 19th century. The oldest surviving building is the 2-storey cottage and byre behind the stable yard. This dates from about 1800, and probably replaced an earlier (single storey) dwelling. A building is shown on this spot on William Crawford's map of 1804, and 'Dalmakeron' is marked on General Roy's map of circa 1760 (although here no buildings seem to be marked). The building consists of a 2-storey, 2-bay cottage at the SE end of the building, and a byre with loft above at the other end. The remains of other buildings of roughly the same date lie to the SW, but they have suffered extensive 20th century alterations. The main house appears to date from the 1840s or '50s and was probably built by the son or grandson of the person who built the cottage. It is shown on the 1st edition OS map, with the outshot to the rear, but without the side wings. The side wings appear on the 2nd edition OS map, no doubt the addition of the next generation. The stable block, which is exceptionally well-designed and fitted out with all the latest mod-cons (including heating pipes, tiled walls, and a relatively comfy room for the groom with a fireplace), was built in the second half of the 19th century, possibly in about 1880. The stables at Duncow (situated a few miles North of Locharbriggs, and built in 1878) have very similar green tiles, stall partitions etc. which were probably supplied by the same firm of stable-fitters. The balustrade in front of the house was put up in about 1950, but came from another house and dates from about 1820.