Summary Record

Date January 2013

Event ID 933542

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Summary Record

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/933542

Situated to the south-west of Newhailes House, the stables & office block was built as part of the changes initiated on the estate in 1798 (with the north and east ranges constructed in 1826). They comprise a two storey quadrangular Classical stable court, incorporating late 17th century to mid-18th century builds in the north-west and south-west ranges. The north-west range is built of random rubble showing evidence of having been harled at an early point. The later classical north-east and south-east ranges are built of sandstone with ashlar joints. The hipped roofs are slated. The court is divided into three courtyards, with the main carriage pend entrance on south-east, and a further entrance on the south-west.

North Elevation

This elevation faces Newhailes House and is symmetrical with a central pediment on Doric pilasters and over two blind archways. The bays to either side have a plain base course, a profiled string course between ground and first floor and a corniced parapet well to the low pitched roof. There are two windrows to the ground and upper floor in each of the bays. The upper floor windows are glazed, and the ground floor windows glazed and blind. The composition is completed at either corner/end with square pilasters.

East Elevation

This elevation can be described as having two parts, the major part of which has a grander scale and is similar to the N elevation with its symmetry around the entrance to courtyard 1. This central main carriage entrance bay is pedimented, with double Doric pilasters flanking the pend archway. To either side of the entrance are wings with three windows (upper and lower), including blind windows as required by the internal room arrangement. The windows are similar to those on the N elevation. The composition is completed at either end with a single narrow bay flanked by pilasters. The bay contains a blind window at lower level and blank rectangular ashlar tablets at the upper and parapet levels. The base course, string course and parapet cornice are continuous from the N elevation.

The minor and southerly part is lower in height with lesser base course, string course and parapet cornice at a lower level to the main part. At the lower level there are three blind windows within recessed arches. At the upper level are blind windows, with no divisions, centred over the windows below.

South Elevation

This elevation comprises two buildings, the south west wing of the earlier north-west range and the E wing of the later range, separated by the entrance into courtyards 2 and 3.

The E wing elevation is not similar to its adjoining elevation described above. There is little symmetry to this elevation. The upper level has two single sash windows with astragals dividing the window into six equal panes. The lower level has a single doorway, two single sash 12 pane windows and two arched headed double doorways.

The earlier south-west wing is of random rubble and has a certain sparse symmetry with two single sash 6 pane windows at the upper floor level and four single doorways at ground floor level.

West Elevation

This elevation can be described as comprising of five sections.

The north most section forms part of the later range with its adornment restricted to the termination of the parapet cornice, base and string courses which have been returned round the comer from the N elevation. There is a centrally positioned sash window at the upper and lower levels.

The adjacent section marks the start of the earlier range of random rubble construction. The slated roof is of a noticeably steeper pitch than the north east range and the eaves level is lower. There is no symmetry to this section and openings have been positioned to suit the internal layout of rooms. There are three double sash windows at the upper level and two double sash windows at the lower level with a single doorway at both ends of this section.

The division between section 2 and 3 is delineated by a raking parapet, terminating at a two pot chimney stack at ridge level, and quoin stones marking the end of section 2.

Whilst the eaves level of section 3 is at the same level as that of section 2 the pitch of the roof changes to a shallower pitch. There are three openings at the upper level, a ventilation slot to either side of window positioned centrally on a doorway below. There are three openings at ground floor level, two small single doorways and one large single stable doorway for horse access. The random rubble is of a smaller stone size at the north end of the lower level.

Attached to this section is a single storey lean-to building of random rubble with raking parapet gable walls and a slated pitched roof with a single sky light. This building has one entrance on the north east elevation.

The division between section 3 and 4 is again marked by a raking parapet cope. The roof pitch and eaves level of section 4 matches that of section 3. There are three windows at the upper level, the north most of which is single pane whilst the other two are double sash windows. There is one doorway at ground floor level.

Section 5 is the hipped roof gable of the south west range. The roof pitch is similar to section 4 but the ridge and eaves are lower. The random rubble wall is completed with quoins. There are no openings on this section of the elevation.

A major programme of monitoring, evaluation and architectural recording was undertaken at the stables during conservation works between June 2000 and August 2001, with additional monitoring taking place in 2008.

Evidence for its general evolution demonstrated that it had been successively extended from a core structure to the NW of the complex, reaching its present form in the first decades of the 19th century. The former contained the remains of an early bolection-moulded fireplace that matched details of ca. 1690 fireplaces in the mansion. While perhaps the fireplace had been reset, the chamfered window arises of this structure suggested a similarly early date.

The W and SW parts of the complex are rubble-built, employing salvaged stone from at least two earlier structures. One group of reused carved stones displays 17th-century or earlier detail in the form of chamfered arises and quirked edge rolls, while a second group derives from a classically designed building. The latter includes rusticated quoins and moulded cornice and base stones. The former may possibly provide evidence for a predecessor for the existing mansion while the latter may derive from alterations to the mansion itself or, perhaps, a further lost classical building within the policies; equally they may derive from the earlier configuration of the stables itself.

Various early floor levels were exposed within the ground-floor stables rooms - some brick-lined, some flagged and some cobbled. Earlier cobbling was also found with rooms occupying the E corner of the block, representing the remains of an exterior surface. Footings of an earlier range were found below floor level within the NW block of the existing structure, demonstrating that the interior court had been considerably smaller before c 1800. A number of ruined walls and lean-to structures within the courtyard were assessed and recorded. These proved to have been constructed in the later part of the 19th century.

Three evaluation trenches were excavated within the courtyard, to assess evidence for earlier surfaces and the potential for the survival of wall footings and other remains below these. A cobbled surface was identified, some 0.25m below the existing surface. Other than a rubble spread (demolition debris) no evidence for earlier structures was encountered below the cobbles. A miscellaneous find, of some importance, was recovered from one of the evaluation trenches placed within the courtyard; The artefact is carved from a soft blue-grey stone, possibly steatite, and measures 45mm in height, by 22mm at the top and 28mm at the base. It forms a tapering cylinder that appears to be slightly too irregular to have been lathe-turned. A 16mm wide socket had been cut down from the upper surface and this tapers towards the base, to a depth of 43mm.The base is highly polished and features a cartouche & hieroglyph with a close similarity to Tuthmosis (the Egyptian Pharoahs who reigned between ca. 1500-1400 BC).

(Information from the National Trust for Scotland January 2013)