Description
1795-1800 and mid 19th century, with later additions (see Notes). 2 and 3-storeys. Classical house with substantial mid and later 19th century Jacobean style extensions by George Steele and W Dunn; converted to residential units, 2004-6 (see Notes). House and linked former coach house, screen wall and water tower all form rough E-plan. Situated within own landscaped grounds. Squared and pinned red sandstone rubble with ashlar margins. Variety of window openings including rectangular, round-arched and tripartite transomed and mullioned arrangements. Cill courses, hood moulds, shouldered skewputts.
W ELEVATION: 1795. Symmetrical, 3-storey, 5-bay section to W, with central canted bay. Base course, cill courses, cornice. Raised cills to upper storey. Central canted bay with advanced Doric columned and pedimented entrance. Part-glazed timber door with fanlight. Tall window openings at ground. 1838 single-storey gabled bay to far left with transomed and mullioned tripartite hoodmoulded window with monogram above. Ball finial to gable apex. Raised skews and shouldered skewputts.
S ELEVATION; 1795 and circa 1840. 2- and 3-storey, gabled elevation with lower, single storey 3-bay section to right and further, 2-storey rubble, piended-roofed bay to far right with raised margins. Cill course above 1st floor. Raised cills. Off-centre oriel window with bipartite window above. To right: symmetrical single storey, 3-bay section with central, slightly advanced, gabled bay; pointed-arched niche to gable. To far left: advanced rectangular window with hoodmoulding above ground. Ball finials to gable apices.
N (COURTYARDS) ELEVATION: W courtyard with circa 1870, flat-roofed extension with decorative hoodmoulded entrance door way with panelled timber door, with fanlight above and with Carmichael coat-of-arms above. E courtyard dated 1797, former 2-storey coach house with off-centre advanced bay facing W with in-filled segmental-arched opening at ground. Round-arched window opening above. Other timber entrance doors with fanlights above.
Predominantly multi-pane timber sash and case windows; some timber casement windows. Piended roof to 18th century section; gabled to later sections. Grey slates. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Wallhead and ridge corniced stacks; some polygonal cans to 19th century sections.
INTERIOR: (partially seen 2012). Converted to separate residential units, circa 2004-6. Some original rooms extant and retains many fine 18th and 19th century decorative features. Entrance hall to W with decorative timber arch leading to open well cantilevered stair with pierced oval panel balusters and timber handrail; curved newel. Former drawing room with elaborate Louis VX decorative plaster work, including to chimneypiece. Former timber panelled dining room, with elaborate, Mannerist carved figurative and foliate decoration; columned chimneypiece, depicting hunting scenes. Other decorative timber chimneypieces. Decorative cornicing throughout; 4-panelled timber doors.
WATER TOWER AND SCREEN WALL: to N: 1838. Linked to former coachhouse with rubble screen wall with segmental-arched coach opening. Ogee-roofed, 3-stage tower. Pair of panelled timber entrance doors to S elevation; carved 16th century dormerhead set into W face (see Notes).
Statement of Special Interest
Arthurstone House is an fine example of an extended late 18th century country house, with substantial 19th century Jacobean style additions and containing some excellent internal decorative features. Converted into 15 separate residential units around 2005, the property retains much of its original character and is situated within its own grounds.
The estate was originally owned by the Cistercian Abbey at Coupar Angus and came into private ownership in the early 17th century, after the Reformation. The earliest section of the house is to the west, built around 1795 for a Colonel William Rattray. The former coach house to the east is of the same date and this is now joined to the main house by the early 19th century service wing. In 1838, the house was bought by the Murrays of Simprim who extended the house significantly by building the long, 3-storey Jacobean style south wing, the screen wall and the water tower. This water tower has a late 16th century dormerhead set into the west face, inscribed "COLVE CAMPBELL". It is likely to have come from an earlier house on the site. In 1869, the estate was bought by Peter Carmichael, a partner in the Dundee flax-spinning company of John Baxter & Son He added the single storey north east wing (replacing an earlier one) and the west front of this aligns with the 1795 house.
There is also a walled garden and dovecot to the east and a former curling pond pavilion to the south (see separate listings). In the 20th century, the house was a private school for girls. The house and the walled garden were converted into private apartments from 2004-6.
List description updated, 2012.