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Summary

Description

Early 19th century, incorporating mid-18th century fabric; some 20th century alterations and additions. 2-storey, 3-bay, gabled farmhouse on slightly sloping site with off-centre doorway in Doric-pilastered doorpiece, and flanking byres forming U-plan courtyard to NE (front). Painted whinstone rubble with sandstone ashlar dressings; some cement rendering. Base course, eaves course, quoin strips, raised window margins; long and short droved quoins to byres.

HOUSE: off-centre, half-glazed, non-traditional timber panelled front door in (possibly later) Doric-pilastered doorpiece; 3 stone steps to door. Regular fenestration. Byre wings adjoining NW and SE gables. Irregular fenestration to SW (rear) with central staircase window.

12-pane glazing in original timber sash and case windows to NE (front); Victorian 4-pane and plate glass glazing to rear. Ashlar-coped skews to front elevation only; square skewputts with rosette detail. Corniced ashlar stacks. Assorted clay cans. Graded grey slate.

INTERIOR: curved stone staircase with cast-iron balusters and mahogany rail. Hall with ceiling rose and filled-in archway with key-blocked ashlar margins. Decorative cornice to upstairs drawing room. Timber panelled interior doors.

NW BYRE: mid-18th century with later alterations. Probably former longhouse (see Notes). Cement-rendered with painted ashlar dressings. Asymmetrical gable to NE, piended roof to SW. Half-glazed timber-boarded door and bipartite window to courtyard elevation. NW elevation with eaves course and half-glazed timber boarded back door; irregular fenestration. 2 datestone lintels: IG 1808 MG to left of door; incomplete inscription, partially obscured by lean-to addition, reads '[Jam]es Gill[mour] Agnes Gillmour May 28 174[7]' (see Notes).

SE BYRE: early 19th century. L-plan with gable to NE and piended roof to SW. Timber-boarded doors and blocked cart entrance to courtyard. Square and slit windows to rear.

FORMER THRESHING BARN: to NW of house. Cement-rendered, random rubble barn with sandstone ashlar quoins. Timber-boarded doors. Graded grey slate roof.

Statement of Special Interest

An excellent example of this type of 2-storey, 3-bay farmhouse. The main house probably dates from between 1808-1820, and is one of only 3 farmhouses in Dunlop to retain its original 12-pane glazed sashes (although they are in a rather dilapidated state). The slightly asymmetrical arrangement of the bays is quite typical for this type of house: the wider bay would contain the kitchen on the ground floor, and best parlour above; in the narrower bay would be and office, dining or sitting room on the ground floor, and bedroom above. This arrangement is also found at The Hill, Over Borland (both 18th century), and North Netherhouses (dated 1845). The Doric doorpiece may be a later addition. The curved stone staircase is worthy of note, and similar ones are to be found at Mains of Aiket, North Borland, East Halket, Brockwellmuir, and Hazelbank Farm. However, most of these houses date from the 1830s and '40s (Mains of Aiket, circa 1827, being the earliest), which would make this staircase the earliest of its type in the Parish, and also suggests that the house was built closer to 1820 than 1810. The SE byre is almost certainly contemporary with the main house, but the NW byre appears to be considerably older, although much altered. The datestones on the NW elevation indicate that it dates from the mid 18th century (although the marriage lintel dated 1747 could have been re-used). It is most probable that this was a longhouse, with living accommodation at the SW end, and a cow byre at the NE end. The eaves course on the NW elevation suggests that that side was once the front. When the larger house was built, it is likely that the dwelling quarters of the longhouse was turned into a dairy. This was the case at both The Hill and Mains of Aiket, the two other farms in the Parish where an old longhouse is known to survive. The NW byre does not look very promising, but hole in the render reveals the good stonework underneath, and the OS maps show a dotted circular horse-mill beside it. There are a number of mid-20th century outbuildings also on the property. The farm itself is of considerable antiquity, and is shown on Pont's map on circa 1604. A battle was fought on Craignaught Hill in 1439, the result of a longstanding feud between the Stewart and Boyd families.

References

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