Description
J Gillespie Graham, 1810-1816, incorporating earlier fabric of 1695 and 18th century. 2-storey over basement, 7-bay symmetrical, rectangular- plan gothick mansion. Honey-coloured sandstone ashlar; ashlar margins and dressings. Narrow, octagonal corner towers; tall crocketted pinnacles. Piereced hexagonal-shaped balustrade. Pointed arch, cusped- headed windows; tall principal floor windows. Shallow base course; band course between basement and upper floors.
E (MAIN) ELEVATION: broad, sweeping perron stair to entrance at centre; balustrade of pointed arch arcade with newels of clustered shafts and depressed cap. Tripartite pointed arch portico-in-antis at centre, gabletted, croketted pier divisions; pierced, cusped blind baluatrade above; inner 2-leaf entrance door with gothic Y-tracery glazing; flanking windows. Quadripartite window of narrow lancets at centre 1st floor; flanking gabletted piers, crockets; criss-cross cusped pierced balustrade parapet. 3 flanking bays symmetrically disposed, windows disposed bipartite, tripartite, bipartite, plain Y-tracery pointed arch windows at basement, trefoil-headed windows within pointed arch at principal floor; cusp-headed windows at upper floor. Octagonal corner towers, blind arrowslits; balustrade.
N ELEVATION: 2 broad bays; gently bowed full-height bay to outer left, flanking towers; 3 sets of bipartites. Broad bay to outer right, tripartite windows at each floor.
W (REAR) ELEVATION: plain rendered elevation with red sandstone margins and dressings. 3-storey, 6-bay block to left with 2-bay lower storey block to right. 2 bays at centre slightly advanced, door at centre, half-glazed, flanking windows; 2 bays flanking, windows at 1st floor left gothick glazing; 12-pane sash and case windows. Lower block to outer right, 4-pane sash and case windows.
S ELEVATION: red sandstone rubble lower block to left; rendered main body of house with red sandstone margins and dressings; ashlar block to outer right, tripartite windows.
4-pane, 8-pane and 12-pane sash and case windows; grey slate roof, lead flashings. Broad, pedestal ridge stack with off-set tall ashlar cans.
INTERIOR: vestibule with delicate decorative plasterwork, large ceiling rosette; ribs carried into squinches supported on mask corbels. Deep-set doors, dark wood panelled. Cantilevered stone stair with delicate cast-iron balusters, wooden rail; stair hall lit by oval lantern. W dining room with geometric plasterwork on ceiling and acanthus-leaf cornice; marble fireplace.
WALLED GARDEN: to SW of house. Square-plan garden area, early 20th century remodelling of earlier garden. Rubble wall with ashlar slab coping; rubble clairvoyee openings along walks.