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Summary

Description

Late 18th century. Single storey, 3-bay, rectangular plan, classical former gardener's cottage (converted to office, mid-1990s), set in the former walled garden of the Callendar Estate, on ground sloping to N. Extensive late 20th century alterations and additions to rear. Random and squared rubble; raised ashlar dressings; stone cills; strip quoins; droved rybats; rubble tabs; stone skews. Simple, banded and corniced eaves course; blocking course with hidden rainwater goods.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: central, shallow Doric entrance portico, pair of plain shafted columns supporting plain rectangular entablature with banded cornice and blocking course; flanking windows.

E ELEVATION: plain gable. Later, single storey, rectangular-plan extension (1990s) adjoining cottage to right (incorporating original boundary wall).

N (REAR) ELEVATION: extensive 1990s addition advanced to left; original bay set back to right.

W ELEVATION: window to central gablehead; boundary wall adjoins to far left.

INTERIOR: converted to office accommodation, late 20th century.

12-pane timber sash and case windows; 3 cast-iron roof lights (20th century). Pitched roof; grey slates; lead ridge and eaves lining. Straight ashlar skews. Coped ashlar stacks with small thackstanes; circular clay cans.

GATEPIERS: 2 tall, chamfered, square plan ashlar gatepiers, splayed bases, corniced caps. Stone lintel between right hand pier and W gable of cottage, forming side gateway. Late 20th century cast-iron gates to both openings.

Statement of Special Interest

A-Group comprises 'Callendar House' (HB 31236), and the associated 'Glenbrae Lodge and Gates' (HB 31235), 'Callendar House, Small Bridge on South Axis of House' (HB 31237), 'Callendar House Sundial' (HB 31238), 'Stable Court, Including Cobbled Yard' (HB 31239), 'Stable Block Including Dovecot, Cobbled Yard, Implement Shed, Boundary Walls and Gates' (HB 46544), 'Factor's House' (HB 46545), 'Dry Bridge' (HB 31240), 'Mausoleum' (HB 31241), 'Kennels' (HB 50894), 'Policy Walls' (HB 50896) and 'Wellhead' (HB 50897), see separate entries.

This classical cottage retains its original character, despite being converted into modern office accommodation, all of which has been constructed to the rear and concealed from the front elevation. The former residence of the Head Gardener for the Callendar House estate, Atrium House is sited in the Callendar Business Park, built on the site of a former walled garden that dates from the 1790s. This new walled garden is first evident on Anderson's map of 1818, and was built to replace an earlier walled garden located close to the Factor's House (see separate listing). On this map, several small buildings are positioned along the N wall of the garden and Atrium House is the only one of these buildings to survive relatively intact.

Callendar House and its associated buildings are some of the most significant and prominent buildings in Falkirk. The Lands of Callendar were granted to the Livingston family in the mid 14th century, and they retained possession of the estate for nearly 400 years. The estate was forfeited to the Government after the Jacobite rising in 1715, who in turn sold on the estate. Callendar was bought by William Forbes in the late 18th century, a copper merchant from London, who continued to develop the mansion and the estate. The Forbes family brought architect David Hamilton to work on Callendar, and as benefactors, were also instrumental to the development of Falkirk as a modern 19th century town. The estate remained in the possession of the Forbes family until 1963, when it was sold to the now defunct Falkirk Burgh Council. The Burgh Council were responsible for planning the high-rise housing within Callendar Park, and also the development of the walled garden as a College of Education (now the Callendar Business Park). However they did no work on the House, which remained derelict and boarded-up until 1997, when it was restored by the present Council.

The cottage and N wall of the former garden were also built directly upon the Antonine Wall (SCHEDULED ANCIENT MONUMENT), which takes an E to W path across the front of the Callendar estate, resulting in the ground falling steeply away to the N of the cottage. Atrium House lies within the amenity zone for the Antonine Wall recommended in D N Skinner The Countryside of the Antonine Wall (1973), and which will form the basis of the buffer zone, yet to be defined, for the proposed Antonine Wall World Heritage Site.

References

Bibliography

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