Morebattle, Old Belford House

NT82SW 12 81321 20892

NMRS REFERENCE

(NT 8132 2089) Old Belford House: This late 17th century house of two storeys, standing in the farm steading of Belford, has been gutted and adapted for use as a garage, stable and hay-barn. It is T-shaped on plan and comprises a main block, 52'3" SW-NE by 23', from the NW side of which extends a lower, central wing, 22'2" by 23'3". The masonry of both parts is of harled rubble; the roofs have been re-covered with corrugated iron. The NE gable of the main block is crow-stepped.

RCAHMS 1956, visited 1937.

EXTERNAL REFERENCE:

ORDNANCE SURVEY

Old Belford House is as described.

Visited by OS (WDJ) 18 August 1960.

No change to previous field report.

Visited by OS (RD) 13 June 1968.

Old Belford House, now used as a craft studio, otherwise no change.

Visited by OS (TRG) 12 August 1976.

Late 17th century 2 storey laird's house on a T-plan with a crowstepped gable to the north east. A lower central wing extends from the north west elevation. Built in harled rubble, the house was previously gutted and adapted for use as a stable. The steeply pitched roof is now covered by a green corrugated-iron roof. Old Belford House is a rare and interesting survival of a 17th century Laird´s House. It is situated in a remote valley in the one of the southernmost parts of Roxburghshire and forms a picturesque group with the adjacent farm buildings. At the time of the New Statistical Account it was the property of Sir John Scott Douglas of Belford and it was perhaps he who abandoned the old house and built the new one a few hunded metres to the South in the early 19th century, the new house being identifiable on Crawford & Brooke´s map of 1843. Despite the loss of many of its features Old Belford still has considerable presence. At the time of listing (2007) it was in use as a store. It has probably been used as a barn since the 19th century. (Historic Scotland)