NTS Documentary Reference Event

Date January 2013

Event ID 934797

Category Documentary Reference

Type Reference

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/934797

The main entrance to Newhailes house is through a pair of Burlington style ashlar gate-piers opening into the D-plan forecourt. The forecourt is enclosed by a wall, which also acts as a retainer for the earthwork terraces, and consists of a tarmac carriage circle around a lawn. The lawn is outlined by 29 stone bollards, and archaeological work in 2001 identified bollard pads from the original 18th century rectangular lawn. The same work uncovered the original gravel surface of the carriage circle and revealed remains of what have been interpreted as earlier garden bedding, dating to the late 17th century.

Originally built as the house of Whitehill in the late 17th century, the house’s current form dates to the first half of the 18th century when the east and west wings were added by Sir David Dalrymple.

The house is a plain but impressive classical mansion house with basement, two principal floors and an attic within the roof spaces. The main elevations to north-east and south-west are of fifteen bays and are similar except for the difference in ground level; the principal floor level is raised half a storey above ground level to the N front, whilst on the S side it is raised a full storey above the ground level with a double flight of steps leading to the main entrance.

These principal elevations are composed of a seven bay centre block with slightly advanced three bay astylar pedimented centrepiece, a single recessed bay links this centre block to the three bay end pavilions, advanced a single bay. The house is built of random rubble with smooth harled finish lined in imitation ashlar work, with numerous patched repairs, with ashlar stone quoins and splayed door and window reveals. The hipped roofs are slated with leaded platforms over E and W wings and straight links. Paired chimney stacks rise above the N-S cross-walls of the central villa, a single stack rises over the E pavilion and a pair at right angles rise over the internal walls to the W pavilion.

S Elevation

Faces the entrance court with symmetrical fifteen bay composition, the three central bays are slightly advanced with raised pediment, and two bays to either side. A painted stone distyle in antis Roman Doric portico is placed centrally and shelters the basement entrance. Its cornice has advanced keystone and the frieze is decorated with metope and triglyph, with guttae to architrave, the column shafts are plain;. A sweeping double stair with a wrought-iron balustrade rises to the principal entrance above which is framed with a pedimented doorcase with fluted tapering pilasters and lintol inscription 'LAVDO MANENTEM __ ' roughly translated as 'I praise her whilst she remains' with relief carving of a woman's and a man's heads with upturned shell in tympanum above.

The double stairs cut across the face of the basement windows on either side of the centre bay and abut the stone platt of the portico. The wrought and cast-iron baluster with monogram and surrounding acanthus leafwork in central panel is surmounted with moulded timber handrail c.75 x 62mm. The panels below each flight of stairs are infilled with rock work, similar to character of rock work to entrance gates; each contains a relief head of a lion. The pediment over the three bay centrepiece is narrower than the advanced three bay centre piece. It has an oculus window with plain raised margin and glazed bulls-eye window set low down in the tympanum, probably to avoid the flue which rises from the fireplace to the apex of the pediment where it terminates in a 19th century chimney can.

To either side of the central seven bay villa are slightly recessed single bay straight links to the slightly advanced three bay east and west end wings. These contain doorways with lay-light over and above matching fenestration to ground and first floors.

The windows to the Sand W elevations of the E wing are all blinded, with painted astragals which match the other windows, except at Ground Floor level where the blinded windows have been overpainted to change the 2/2 design to 4/4. The raised margins to the blind windows at basement level are formed in render without deep reveals.

The facade is of harled masonry lined off to imitate ashlar coursing with rusticated quoins to the central villa, moulded,stone cornice and plinth. The window openings have plain sandstone margins, monolithic cills and lintols with chamfered reveals. The ground floor windows have two over two double hung sash and case windows with recessed cases concealed behind stone rybats. The first floor windows are six over six double hung sash and case windows.

The W wing completes symmetry of E wing, its three basement windows to the Kitchen are of six over six style sash and case are fitted with arrow headed security bars.

N Elevation

The N elevation, similar to the S elevation but with single straight flight of seven steps rising from the ground level to the entrance platt. The matching pedimented entrance doorcase with tapering pilasters with lintel inscription "_ SAPIENTER V TI" (to use wisely) and a profile relief of a man's head facing W is set in tympanum above.

The pediment over the three bay centrepiece matches the south, with oculus window with plain raised margin and glazed bulls-eye window set low down in the tympanum, and chimney stack to pediment.

The windows to the east wing are all blinded and painted to match the differing window pattern on each floor. The two bulls-eye ventilation openings at basement level have been built up and rendered over.

The window openings have matching sandstone margins, monolithic cills and lintols with chamfered reveals. The ground floor windows to the central villa and straight linking bays have two over two double hung sash and case windows with recessed cases concealed behind stone rybats. The ground floor windows to the west wing are six over six double hung sash and case windows and six over six fixed casement window to the West Stair. The first floor windows have six over six double hung sash and case windows with recessed cases concealed behind stone rybats and two horizontal bars fixed across the lower sashes. The basement windows are of various heights and types all with horizontal security bars.

The facade is of much patched harled masonry with rusticated quoins to the central villa, moulded stone cornice and plinth and plain raised stone margins to corners of pavilion wings.

E Elevation

The end wall of the east wing contains five tall round arch windows each with raised stone margins surmounted by impost capitals and with shell keystones to each round arch. The centre window extends to ground level as a door and a carved stone wall mounted sundial is located above. Blank rectangular ashlar tablets are located above each window. Below each window, a small bull's-eye ventilation openings are located below the moulded stone string course providing ventilation to provide ventilation and light to the basement Cellars. A small basement area extends c.O.75m below adjacent ground level and is bridged by a stone platt to central door.

The wall is harled with plain raised margins at each corner.

W Elevation

The W elevation is of two bay composition above the basement area which provides access

from the Services tunnel to the Old Kitchen, the Scullery and the basement floor of the house.

Two round arched windows to principal floor level with moulded stone margins, impost capitals and advanced keystone. The window opening to the N is fitted with a cast-iron sash and case window, with radial and Y traceried pattern within arched head. To the S, the matching window opening is blank with painted fenestration to match the adjacent window. Above, two square windows to first floor with broad pilaster strips to outer angles. The windows have three over three double hung sash and case windows with recessed cases concealed behind stone rybats.

The wall is harled with cement patching and panelled corners at each end. The moulded stone cornice and string course are continuous with the adjoining elevations.

The basement wall below the string course, previously internal, contains door to Old Kitchen with plain raised margins and flat arched head is slightly off-set from S bay. To N, a door opening with lay-light over and matching basement doors to linking bays between main villa and pavilions on S elevation, provides access to Kitchen Corridor and window opening to its N, also with plain raised stone margins. The wall is finished with lime plaster and evidence of beam holes exist immediately below moulded stone string course.

The roofs are slated with flat leaded sections to centre of straight links and end wings.

To the east of the house, directly overlooked by the library is the Cabinet Garden. It consists of a lawn, surrounded by trees forming an outdoor room, and was designed as an extension of the library.

To the north (rear) of the house is an area of open lawn, running for 150m in length to the parkland beyond. The lawn once featured 4 statues, a pair of sphinxes and a pair of gladiators, installed in the 1740s and stolen in 1949, all that now remains are the plinths.

The lawn is separated from the parkland by a ha-ha, archaeological excavation of it has shown that the wall of the ha-ha was in fact 2m in height, constructed of roughly faced rubble work with a sandstone cope, and demonstrating that the ditch had at some point been filled in. This filling in may have been the reason for the construction of the iron fence on top of the ha-ha, in order to maintain an effective barrier between the lawn and the parkland.

Information from NTS