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Summary

Description

George Simpson, architect, 1887-8. Large baronial villa with extensive conservatory and glasshouse range at W.

HOUSE: asymmetrical 2-storey house with E entrance front. Bullfaced rubble, contrasting tooled and polished ashlar dressings. Projecting square porch with segmental-headed entrance and crenellated wallhead; ornate panelled double-leaf door. Porch fronts tower-like centre bay rising above ridge with corbelled wallhead and steeply pitched crowstepped "cap house" roof. At left of entrance shallow projecting bipartite with corniced blocking course, decorative gablet-headed 1st floor window; ist floor oriel to right of centre.

Asymmetrical 4-bay S garden front with (right) ground floor projecting bowed 3-light window with corniced and ball finialled wallhead. Near centre 1st floor canted oriel; 2-storey angle drum tower at SW with narrow ground and 1st floor windows, deep eaves course with ball ornamentation and bellcast fish-scale conical slate roof with cast iron apex weathervane. Square 3-storey tower rises above W elevation with corbnelled and crenellated upper storey with angle bartizans and circular stair turret at NE. E,W and S upper storey elevations pierced by 3 narrow windows. Various ornamentation such as shaped or broken pediments to 1st floor windows; 2-pane glazing.

rowstepped gables; shaped coped wallhead and end stacks; slate roofs with decorative red tile ridges.

INTERIOR: panelled window shutters and doors; original carved wooden chimneypieces in public rooms; decorative plaster ceiling cornices.

CONSERVATORY-GLASSHOUSE RANGE: at W of house substantial glazed conservatory with 4-bay frontage, domed glazed roof supporting raised and domed toplight. Conservatory linked to house by 6-bay glazed passage with pitched glazed roof and pedimented porch similar to that fronting principal block. Extensive lean-to glass house at W.

Statement of Special Interest

Cathay built by a Mr John Kyle, an engineer who retired

to Forres after 18 years in China. He filled the house

with fine furniture and created an exotic garden.

References

Bibliography

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