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Summary

Description

Probably early 18th century; John Fox, remodelled 1967-69 (see NOTES). Pair of 2-storey, 3-bay end terraced dwellings with 2-storey, 3-bay house adjoined to NE on corner site. Harled with predominantly ashlar margins; base and ground floor lintel courses to No 35. 1st floor openings set close to eaves. Former smiddy abutted to NE.

SE (DOUBLE DYKES) ELEVATION: irregular 3 bays; central entrance with squared sandstone rubble surround and inscription 'THE LAIGH HOUSE' to lintel; small opening to right of door; 2 openings to outer left and 1 to right at ground floor; opening to each outer bay at 1st floor.

SW (INVERESK VILLAGE ROAD) ELEVATION: 3 bays to left: entrance to centre (No 35) with deep-set 2-leaf timber entrance doors; wall-mounted post box to right of door. Irregular 3 bays to right: square opening to left with squared sandstone rubble jambs and lintel and ashlar cill, small square opening above; 1st floor opening to centre and right. Gable to Double Dykes, with opening to right at ground and 1st floors, opening at 1st without surround. Canted corner with corbel at 1st floor.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: irregular 4-bays with 2-bay painted rubble return. Entrance to outer right with chamfered squared rubble surround and vertically boarded timber door; small square opening without surround at 1st floor to centre. Single-storey lean-to to right of return with window opening to right; glazed L-plan lean-to set in re-entrant angle added 1994; right section of glazed lean to set-on low rubble walls of original pigsty. Later square opening at 1st floor to right of rear elevation.

FORMER SMIDDY: abutted to NE, single storey, 2-bay, piended section with gable to right. Sandstone rubble, tooled margins to SW (principal) elevation. Entrance opening to right with timber stable door; 2-leaf timber garage doors to gable. Boundary wall adjoined to left.

12-pane glazing pattern in timber sash and case windows with horns. Pantile pitched roof, tile eaves easing course to SW (Double Dykes) elevation. Ashlar coped skews to SW (Inveresk Village Road) block; predominantly harled end stacks with ashlar cope and circular clay cans, brick end stack to NW. Course of road setts fronting SE (Double Dykes) elevation.

INTERIOR (seen 2011): remodelled circa 1968-69 and 1st floor over No 35 internally connected to No 39 (see NOTES); painted rubble wall to living room. Stone setts to floor of smiddy and replacement timber roof structure.

Statement of Special Interest

No 35 and No 39 The Laigh House are good, early examples of 18th century vernacular dwellings. Their early date is evidenced by its windows set close to the eaves. The later alterations to the buildings are sympathetic to the original design and materials with new openings incorporating ashlar margins and timber sash and case windows. The building retains its original setting and it is an important contribution to the character of the area. Prominently located on the principal throughfare of the village the building terminates a row of late 18th century dwellings and is opposite Inveresk Lodge (see separate listing).

No 39 (also known as The Laigh House) is understood to have been constructed as four separate dwellings: a single dwelling accessed from Double Dykes and 3 single-room apartments accessed from entrances (now windows) on Inveresk Village Road. By 1957 the terrace had fallen into a state of disrepair and was threatened with demolition. The Inveresk Preservation Society purchased the terrace and sold off each property separately. The Edinburgh based architect John Fox remodelled the Laigh House into a single dwelling for his own use in 1967-69. Although not evident on the original plans the first floor dwelling above No 35 became part of the Laigh House at this time (information from owner, 2011). This work received a commendation in The Saltire Society's Housing Design Awards 1970. The entrance to Double Dykes was moved and a surround added.

No 35 was in use as shop until 1996 and converted to dwelling 2005-6 to designs by Nicholas Groves Raines Architects.

The gable end with brick stack to NW suggests that the single storey cottage adjoining at ground to NW, was probably originally 2-storey. The cellarage still accessible from interior (information from original list description of No 35, 1971).

Statutory Address and list description revised 2011. Formally listed as two separate listings 'Inveresk Village, 35 Inveresk Village Road' and 'Inveresk Village, 37 and 39 Inveresk Village Road (Double Dykes), The Laigh House'.

References

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