Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

DALMAHOY HOUSELB27021

Status: Designated

Documents

There are no additional online documents for this record.

Summary

Category
A
Date Added
22/01/1971
Local Authority
Edinburgh
Planning Authority
Edinburgh
Burgh
Edinburgh
NGR
NT 14470 68697
Coordinates
314470, 668697

Description

William Adam, 1725. 2-storey and raised basement, double-pile, rectangular-plan with projecting entrance block, classical house, addition of service wing and interior alterations by Alexander Laing in 1787, William Burn, 1830 and Brown and Wardrop, 1851. Later additions 20th century additions for hotel use (not included in the listing). Harled on E front with yellow sandstone ashlar dressings; coursed rubble sandstone with yellow sandstone dressings on W front. Projecting base course; deep cornice; balustrade; urns; string courses; quoins.

E (GARDEN) ELEVATION: Adam 1725, 7-bay symmetrical main block with lower 3-bay block to right and single storey, 11-bay arcaded modern addition to N. 3-bay entrance block recessed at centre; door at centre of principal floor; elaborate segmental-headed doorpiece (now glazed as window); fluted consoles support heraldic cartouche and lions holding armorial escutcheons interrupting string course. Door reached by curved stone perron stair with balustrade of stone and elaborate wrought-iron. Stone bench. Arched area below stair filled by glazed door; advanced heraldic keystone above door; inscribed BCD DEM 1725. Windows regularly disposed at basement and 1st floor level. 2 bays to right and left advanced; windows symmetrically disposed, those at ground level smaller. 3-bay earlier 19th century block, probably by Burn, to right; door at principal floor to outer right reached by forestair with fine wrought-iron railings; 4-panelled door with large 6-pane fanlight; windows regularly disposed to left and at 1st floor; centre window of 1st floor blind. Full-height arches at ground level in 2 bays to left of forestair; windows set within. Single storey, 11-bay arcaded block to right; arches glazed and keystoned; panelled attic parapet above. Modern build further to right; square-plan entrance pend leads to entrance front; smooth render with yellow sandstone dressings; round arch with keystone and niche above; conical roof rises from behind blocking course. Modern apartments and leisure block attached to right in similar style.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 3-bay projecting entrance block, (Burn, 1830) with octagonal corner tower and Tudor porte-cochere at centre ground. 2 bays recessed to right and left; more recent additions to left foreground. Balustraded Tudor-Gothic porte cochere with 4-centred arch openings; trefoil motifs in squinches; armorial plaque in centre of balustrade; tripartite inner door, centre door with side lights. Segmental-headed window (formerly main door) at centre of principal floor; cornice supports elaborate coat of arms, window directly above at 1st floor. Tower to left and right; blind window at left ground; windows regularly disposed. Towers have mouldings and balustrade as garden elevation with facetted conical roofs. Near-symmetrical 2-bay right return with 2 windows at ground, 1 blind; tripartite window at principal and 2 windows at 1st floor. Recessed block of main house to right; 2 windows at ground; that to right blind; blind window at centre of principal and 1st floor; 2-bay block recessed to left; outer windows blind.

S ELEVATION: near-symmetrical 6-bay block with coursed ashlar parapet; taller windows at basement centre bays (12-pane); flanked by smaller windows; those to outer right 24-pane glazing, those to outer left 16-pane. Evidence of blocked opening at basement level. Windows symmetrically disposed at principal and 1st floor; blind window at 2nd floor outer right; parapet with urns above.

N ELEVATION: main block of house obscured by recent and late 19th century service extensions. 12-pane sash and case windows; 18-pane sash and case for outer bays of principal floor of main front; 24-pane sash and case for windows on either side of perron stair at ground level; 8-pane sash and case windows for towers and some principal floor windows. Slate piend and platformed roof; broad corniced ridge stacks; full compliment of cans.

INTERIOR: Gothic entrance hall of 1830s with tripartite entrance screens and roll-moulded cornices; W room plain except for sandstone fireplace with ogee opening. Main stair to S of centre leads to vestibule at 1st floor level; Roman Doric screen of fluted columns, dentil cornice, metopes; panelled doors open off vestibule. Vestibule united to upper landing by oval opening with elaborate wrought-iron balustrade lit by cupola, panelled walls and ceiling, dentil cornice.

Statement of Special Interest

Dalmahoy House is an outstanding example of early classical house design. The house was designed by William Adam for George Dalrymple, youngest son of the Earl of Stair and was finished in 1725 and was first known as 'Belvedere'. The house was sold circa 1750 to the Earl of Morton. The office wing at the N end was designed in 1787 by Alexander Laing who also carried out numerous alterations inside the house, and who was also likely responsible for the Gogar Burn bridge. William Burn made drawings that seem to belong to the alterations of the 1830s and Brown and Wardrop carried out alterations in 1851.

The bridge over the Gogar Burn, the north gates to the A71, the east gates, the stables and St Mary's Episcopal Church Dalmahoy are all listed separately.

Dalmahoy House policies has been the home to the Dalmahoy Golf Club since 1927 (see below) and the first course, today known as the 'Championship East Course, was laid out by James Braid. Dalmahoy Golf Club was formed in 1927 but never formally used Dalmahoy House as its clubhouse.

References

Bibliography

W Adam, Vitruvius Scoticus (DATE). SO GD150/2407/40, 43, 58. GD150/2428/2/7, GD150/2436/3, GD150/2466/21, GD150/2467/14, 20. GD150/2468/4-5X, GD150/2469/9, GD150/3515/44 (information courtesy of RCAHMS). J Small, Castles and Mansions of the Lothians (1883). F H Groome, Ordnance Survey Gazetteer of Scotland (1897) p338. T Hannan, Famous Scottish Houses (1928) p81. H Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 (1995) p64. C McWilliam, Buildings of Scotland: Lothian (1978) pp166-168. Dictionary of Scottish Architects, www.scottisharchitects.org.uk (2013).

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

There are no images available for this record, you may want to check Canmore for images relating to DALMAHOY HOUSE

There are no images available for this record.

Search Canmore

Printed: 28/03/2024 09:51