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Summary

Description

Earlier 19th century. 2-storey and attic, 3-bay, symmetrical simple classical house. Droved ashlar with raised quoins and moulded eaves course to principal (West) elevation.

12-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Ashlar skews. Gable end stacks.

ANCILLARY STUCTURES: (See Notes). To SW single storey L- plan range, roof piended to street elevation crowstepped to other. To SE single story pantiled range with ashlar skews and stone gable finials. One gable with stone-framed doocot.

GATEPIERS, BOUNDARY WALLS AND WALLED GARDEN: simple square gatepiers to W elevation with

shallow pyramidal caps. Coursed sandstone and lower whinstone rubble section coped wall to W

elevation. Walled Garden to E.

1 AND 2 BACK LATCH, BRIDGEND COTTAGE: earlier 19th century (see Notes) pair of simple single storey 4-bay sandstone rubble pantiled cottages, No 1 with door altered to form window.

Statement of Special Interest

A good example of an earlier 19th century simple classical house located in Bridgend, a 'New Town' which developed from the 1820s onwards immediately to the North of Ceres (described by George Scott-Moncreiff as the 'Most Atttractive Village in Scotland', Pride p93). Bridgend House has additional interest with its ancillary structures, associated pantiled cottages and walled garden. Glen Pride notes that the ancillary structure to the SE dates from the 18th century and has a stone-framed doocot on its gable and a skewputt with a carved head. Further information from the owner (2006) notes that the skewputt is located to the North East of the site, outside of the walled garden.

Ceres is distinguished by its collection of classical houses of around this date. They are direct evidence of this period of prosperity which was predominantly founded on agricultural improvements following enclosure and the flourishing Fife linen industry.

A bleachfield was established at Bridgend in 1825 to enable manufacturing of the more profitable linen dowlas and sheeting in addition to the existing cotton 'Brown Silesias' weaving trade. There were 138 looms involved in the

manufacture of flax and linen noted in the first Statistical Account, by the time of the New Statistical Account 700-900 out of a population of 2763 were employed in 'weaving and winding'.

It seems likely that Bridgend House is associated with the linen industry, especially because of the presence of the related pantiled cottages at Back Latch. The cottages are typical of Fife vernacular linen weavers dwellings with their sandstone rubble, pantiles, neat proportions and pair of windows probably serving the room with the loom. The lack of obvious extensions and unbroken roof mark them out now as exceptional. It is unusual to find the cottages paired with the grander house and it is not clear which came first or even if they were conceived together.

They do however appear on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map of 1852-5 within a single plot with the walled garden to the East and they therefore appear to be historically related. That they have remained in a single ownership to the present day is remarkable (2006).

References

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