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Summary

Description

J Gillespie Graham, 1810-1816, incorporating earlier fabric of 1695 and 18th century. 2-storey over basement, 7-bay symmetrical, rectangular- plan gothick mansion. Honey-coloured sandstone ashlar; ashlar margins and dressings. Narrow, octagonal corner towers; tall crocketted pinnacles. Piereced hexagonal-shaped balustrade. Pointed arch, cusped- headed windows; tall principal floor windows. Shallow base course; band course between basement and upper floors.

E (MAIN) ELEVATION: broad, sweeping perron stair to entrance at centre; balustrade of pointed arch arcade with newels of clustered shafts and depressed cap. Tripartite pointed arch portico-in-antis at centre, gabletted, croketted pier divisions; pierced, cusped blind baluatrade above; inner 2-leaf entrance door with gothic Y-tracery glazing; flanking windows. Quadripartite window of narrow lancets at centre 1st floor; flanking gabletted piers, crockets; criss-cross cusped pierced balustrade parapet. 3 flanking bays symmetrically disposed, windows disposed bipartite, tripartite, bipartite, plain Y-tracery pointed arch windows at basement, trefoil-headed windows within pointed arch at principal floor; cusp-headed windows at upper floor. Octagonal corner towers, blind arrowslits; balustrade.

N ELEVATION: 2 broad bays; gently bowed full-height bay to outer left, flanking towers; 3 sets of bipartites. Broad bay to outer right, tripartite windows at each floor.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: plain rendered elevation with red sandstone margins and dressings. 3-storey, 6-bay block to left with 2-bay lower storey block to right. 2 bays at centre slightly advanced, door at centre, half-glazed, flanking windows; 2 bays flanking, windows at 1st floor left gothick glazing; 12-pane sash and case windows. Lower block to outer right, 4-pane sash and case windows.

S ELEVATION: red sandstone rubble lower block to left; rendered main body of house with red sandstone margins and dressings; ashlar block to outer right, tripartite windows.

4-pane, 8-pane and 12-pane sash and case windows; grey slate roof, lead flashings. Broad, pedestal ridge stack with off-set tall ashlar cans.

INTERIOR: vestibule with delicate decorative plasterwork, large ceiling rosette; ribs carried into squinches supported on mask corbels. Deep-set doors, dark wood panelled. Cantilevered stone stair with delicate cast-iron balusters, wooden rail; stair hall lit by oval lantern. W dining room with geometric plasterwork on ceiling and acanthus-leaf cornice; marble fireplace.

WALLED GARDEN: to SW of house. Square-plan garden area, early 20th century remodelling of earlier garden. Rubble wall with ashlar slab coping; rubble clairvoyee openings along walks.

Statement of Special Interest

The site was the original seat of the Buchanans of Ross from about the 14th century. A house was built in 1695, and it is this house which forms some of the fabric of the present priory. The wings were removed and the house was enlarged to the N and E. Sir Walter Scott fequented the house in 1817 while writing ROB ROY. Stylistically it should be compared with buildings such as Crawford Priory (David Hamilton, 1809, James Gillespie Graham, 1811-13) and Newbyth (Archibald Elliot, 1817). The house is now a club owned by Strathclyde University. The house was grant-aided and substantial repair and stone replacement has taken place. Ross Lodge, stables and the Buchanan Burial ground are listed separately.

References

Bibliography

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