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Summary

Description

Circa 1680 with substantial alterations circa 1760 and Charles Black, builder, 1818; alterations, William Burn, circa 1850; restored and converted circa 1991. 2-storey with attic and basement, rectangular- plan tower house; made T-plan by circa 1760 addition of single storey and basement, classical 9-bay entrance range to E; made H-plan by 1818 addition of 2-storey and basement, symmetrical 6-bay range with bowed central bays to W. CIRCA 1680 BLOCK: rendered; polished yellow sandstone surrounds to chamfered openings. CIRCA 1760 BLOCK: grouped 3-3-3; advanced at centre. Coursed stugged yellow sandstone; raised, polished sandstone surrounds. Raised base course; raised eaves course; raised surrounds to keystoned, round-arched openings; square-balustered stair (Burn, circa 1850). CIRCA 1818 BLOCK: squared and snecked yellow rubble sandstone; polished surrounds to openings. Raised band course at principal floor; tooled quoins; tooled long and short surrounds to openings; projecting cills. Random rubble sandstone screen wall enclosing service court to N (Burn, circa 1850).

CIRCA 1680 HOUSE, N ELEVATION: 3-bay. Single windows at ground and 1st floors in bay to outer left; single opening at ground in penultimate bay to outer right; single window aligned at 1st floor; single window at ground in bay to outer right; 2 bipartite box-dormers in bays to outer left and right. S ELEVATION: 3-bay. Single square windows at basement in bays to outer left and right; tripartite window at ground in bay to outer left; single window at ground in bay to outer right; single windows in all bays at 1st floor; bipartite box-dormers in bays to outer left and right.

CIRCA 1760 ENTRANCE RANGE, E ELEVATION: symmetrical disposition of openings. Swept ashlar stairs to ground floor entrance in pedimented central bay; 2-leaf, part-glazed timber panelled door set in architraved surround; segmental-arched pediment above. Single windows at ground in remaining bays to left and right; square basement windows in recessed wings to outer left and right. N ELEVATION: single window centred at ground. Random rubble screen wall enclosing service court (Burn, circa 1850); regularly disposed panelled, corniced piers, polished coping, polished red sandstone oval and diamond detailing to balustrade. Square-plan columnar belfry surmounting coping to NW comprising keystoned, round-arched opening, trefoil-headed scrolled pediment, bell in situ. S ELEVATION: polished sandstone stair to round-arched window centred at ground. Flanking banister as above.

CIRCA 1818 (REAR) RANGE: regularly fenestrated in all bays at basement, ground and 1st floors. Conical roof to 2-bay central bow.

Timber sash and case windows to round-arched openings in E wing; 2-pane timber sash and case dormer windows; 12-pane timber sash and case windows to remaining openings. Graded grey slate roof; rendered and coped apex stacks to E and W original house; coped rendered ridge stacks to N and S W wing; octagonal cans to all.

INTERIOR: internally remodelled circa 1760; decorative cornice work, timber dado rails, panelled timber doors and reveals. Vestibule: unusual foliate ceiling rose; reeded and banded frieze; highly decorative cornice; broken segmental-arched pediment above doorway; wooden shutters to all windows. Square stairwell in 1680 house comprising stone treads, mahogany handrail, oak newels and painted oak panels between balusters adorned with foliate carving; glazed cupola. Barrel-vaulted basement with stone floor.

Statement of Special Interest

The central core of Cramond House was commissioned by John Inglis circa 1680. The following century, shortly before his death in 1771, Sir John Inglis added a new entrance range to the E. Sir John?s brother, Adam subsequently remodelled the house and saw to the addition of the W range (see cover of J P Wood?s book for a view of the house before this later addition). The Inglis crest can still be seen in the tympanum above the entrance. The history of the Inglis family can be traced back to 1622, when the town and lands of Cramond were sold to James Inglis, an Edinburgh merchant by Alexander Douglas, an Edinburgh macer. Having resided in Cramond Tower (see separate list entry), John Inglis saw to the building of Cramond House in 1680. The house was to remain in the family until 1959, when the last in the line of Craigie Halkett?s (related to the Inglis by marriage), died without a successor. Leased from the Church of Scotland and converted to form headquarters for the Scottish Wildlife Trust circa 1991.

References

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