Documents

There are no additional online documents for this record.

Summary

Description

John and Thomas Smith of Darnick. Dated 1827; extended by R Carruthers Ballantyne (of Ballantyne and Taylor, Inverness) circa 1923. 2-storey with attic and basement, 5-bay rectangular-plan Georgian mansion. Ionic portico to entrance; later 2-storey rear wing addition. Polished ashlar; harled rubble with dressed margins to N wing. Giant angle pilasters. Base course, cill courses to ground and 1st floors, dividing band between ground and 1st floors. Blocking course surmounting.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 6 ashlar steps with plain wings walls leading to tetrastyle Ionic entrance portico; central timber panelled door with inset stone above carved with JBAH 1827 in gothic script; border-glazed fanlight. 2 regularly placed windows to flanks of portico. To 1st floor, 5 regularly placed bays; advanced pedimented central bay with recessed apex stack surmounting. To attic, flat-roofed dormer aligned with 3 central bays.

E ELEVATION: 5 regularly placed bays to basement, ground and 1st floor; bays 4 and 5 later and divided from original house by giant pilaster; small circular window to ground and 1st floor between bays 2 and 3 lighting staircase. Paired wallhead stacks between bays 2 and 3 with 5 flat-roofed attic dormers, bays 2-5 aligning with fenestration of house.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: L-plan. Advanced bay to left, to right return window to 1st floor right; wallhead stack to left and attic dormer above 1st floor window. Rear of main house to right: to ground and 1st floor, 3 windows to left; giant pilaster with 4th bay to right. Bipartite attic dormer surmounting to left of pilaster. Basement partially concealed behind coursed whinstone rubble yard wall but single storey square extension in re-entrant angle. Lean-to outhouse adjoining N elevation of enclosed yard wall with door in W elevation.

W ELEVATION: 5 regularly placed bays to basement, ground and 1st floors; semi blind window to 5th bay of basement; windows taller to ground floor. Paired wallhead stacks linked by raised parapet spanning bays 2 - 4; attic dormers aligned with bays 3 and 4.

12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows; 6-pane timber sash and case windows to basement and 15-pane to ground floor of w elevation. Piended and platformed grey slate roof with lead flashing; slate cheeked, flat-roofed dormer windows inserted. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: Tessellated stone floor (see notes) to main halls of ground floor. Greek key and ovolo moulded cornicing to hall; corbelled arches crossing hall. Stone open-well dogleg stair with painted wrought-iron triple balustrades; ornate scrolled central balustrades with plain bar to flanks. Some Adam style fire-surrounds to principal rooms.

TERRACE WALL: ashlar wall with advanced chamfered base course and matching quoins forming W to E terrace to S of main house and dividing drive N - S from garden to W; squared ashlar piers with cushion caps to angles.

Statement of Special Interest

Sited on an attractive hillside overlooking the Tweed, the house is found on the west bank of Holylee Burn with Old Holylee on the east bank. Holylee was built for James Ballantyne of Old Holylee (listed separately) following his marriage to Anne Henderson in 1821. Originally the family lived in the original house but James and his wife moved here. The ground floor contained the main rooms, with a drawing room to the west and a morning room to the east of the front of the house. The rooms came off a T-plan entrance hall with a formal stone staircase rising to the centre of the east elevation. A lesser spiral stair and service rooms were found to the north east corner of the house. These stairs led to the basement kitchens and rear yard. A panelled dining room was in the north west corner of the house. The 1st floor was principally for bedrooms. R Carruthers Ballantyne added a rear extension in 1923 (to the east of the north elevation). He had succeeded ownership of the house through William Laidlaw Ballantyne, factor at Abbotsford. The architectural practice he was with was changed to Laidlaw Ballantyne and Taylor for a generation. In use as a private residence.

References

Bibliography

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.