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Summary

Description

Loch Lomond And Trossachs National Park Planning Authority

Blairvockie Farm is located on a steep rise of ground above the road between Balmaha and Rowardennan. The farmhouse of circa 1851 is a T-plan villa, single storey with attic breaking the broad sparred eaves. Directly to the rear is the original later 18th century farmhouse, now known as Christmas Cottage, a 3-bay, 2-storey rectangular-plan harled house flanked by long single storey piend-ended steading ranges; the remainder of the steading, an L-plan NE and NW range, and a rectangular-plan SE range, form an enclosed yard to the rear of Christmas Cottage. Blairvockie Farm is of value as an unusual example of a farm where an 18th century farmhouse and its 19th century replacement remains; it is also of value for the quality of architecture and relatively unaltered condition.

Blairvockie House:

The symmetrical 3-bay front elevation of Blairvockie House faces SW to take advantage of the views towards Loch Lomond; steps lead to the central timber-boarded door, with a rectangular fanlight. The flanking bays have timber-finialled gables breaking the eaves, and there is a later flat-roofed dormer to the centre of the roof. The rear (NE) wing is single storey, with a lean-to roofed addition to the N side; the rear elevation has openings to ground floor only. Materials: squared coursed whin rubble to SW elevation, random rubble to sides and rear; red sandstone quoins and margins. Mainly horizontal 10- and 12- pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Pitched roof; graded slate (not graded to NE wing); overhanging sparred eaves. Corniced ashlar gablehead stack with circular cans to NW gable. Interior: some plasterwork and woodwork remaining. Timber dog-leg stair with winders and cast-iron balusters.

Christmas Cottage And Flanking Outbuildings:

Christmas Cottage has a SW facing 3-bay front elevation, with modern timber doors to the left (probably originally a window opening) and centre bays. The door to the left gives access to a bothy which is also contained in part of the adjoining single storey outbuilding, which has a 3-bay SW elevation of blocked and blind openings. The outbuilding range to the right is 4-bay, with 4-pane glazed windows.

The rear (NE) elevation of Christmas Cottage is asymmetrical, with a central timber-boarded and glazed door to ground floor, flanked by windows of varying sizes, 2 to each side, and 2 windows to 1st floor. The SE outbuilding range is 4-bay, with a widened opening to inner left, and a blocked window and door to the right. The NW outbuilding range has 7 bays, and several altered openings.

Materials: Christmas Cottage harled; concrete and stone narrow margins and quoin strips; stone eaves course. Flanking ranges random rubble with rough red sandstone margins and quoins. Pitched graded slate roofs; piended ends to flanking ranges. Harled coped gable-end stacks to Christmas Cottage. Mainly 4-pane timber sash and case windows.

Interiors: Christmas Cottage modernised, but retains tiled range surround to ground floor, and 2 register grates with classical timber chimneypieces to 1st floor. To the SE outbuilding range, room with flagstone floor and large fireplace. To the NW outbuilding range, former shepherd's bothy connecting to house, with timber panelling to walls, cast-iron stove and reeded timber chimneypiece; to centre, stables with cobbled floor and 4 stalls with timber partitions and stop-chamfered posts.

Steading:

NE range of L-plan block is a hay barn, with hay-loft door breaking eaves to SW elevation. Rectangular-plan SE range with lean-to construction adjoining to SE elevation.

Materials: random rubble with mainly brown sandstone rough quoins and margins; red sandstone quoins and margins to NE range. Pitched roof to L-plan block, piended roof to SE range; graded slate; stone skews to NE range of L-plan block.

Statement of Special Interest

Until the 20th century, Blairvockie Farm formed part of the property of the Dukes of Montrose' Buchanan Castle Estate. An estate cash book shows that in 1851, £220.4.6 pounds, half the expense of building Blairvockie House, was paid to a Peter Mitchell, presumably the mason who carried out the work.

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