Description
1866-69. 2-storey, 5-bay, broad U-plan castellated Tudor gothic mansion. Battered base course with gunloop details; hoodmoulds; crenellated parapet on billetted corbelling; chamfered reveals; curved corners; corbelled bartizans; rope moulding.
SE (main) elevation: 5 bays symmetrically disposed; 3-bay entrance block slightly advanced, curved corners and bartizans defining. Steps to porch at centre; octagonal piers with crenellated caps, colonnette moulding; moulded round-arched door, monogram of James Aitken on keystones; roundels in spandrel, armorial plaque; narrow round-headed windows on returns. Heavily carved shaped parapet; plaque with ?JA? monogram; inner segmental-headed doorway with figurative keystone, likely James Aitken. Flanking tall bipartite at ground; 3 bipartites symmetrically disposed at 1st floor; ashlar guttae detailing.
Tower: square-plan tower rising behind, chamfered corners; machicolated crenellated parapet, decorative rainwater spout details; octagonal turret at rear corner; arrowloops; decorative corbelled cap. Canted bay windows at ground outer bays; crenellated blocking course; bipartite above; canted crenellated turret; arrowslits.
NE elevation: 5 bays; 2-bay block advanced to outer left; parapet terminated by octagonal turrets, turreted off-set stack at centre of parapet. 3-bay block to outer right slightly recessed, parapet terminated by squat turret.
SW elevation: 5 bays. 3-bay block to outer right; windows symmetrically disposed; off-set piers breaking parapet, framing plaque at centre. 2-bay block recessed to outer left.
NW (rear) elevation: U-plan with 2-bay symmetrical outer wings, screen wall with shaped, battlemented wallhead; stair windows behind. Symmetrical wings, blind window at ground right of left wing; jettied wallhead stack at centre. 3 round-arched traceried stair windows recessed at centre. Screen wall with shaped parapet wallhead, broad 3-centre arched door to outer left, monogrammed plaque; window to right.
Plate glass timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roof, lead flashings. Broad, corniced wallhead stacks.
Interior: sumptuous decorative schemes - tripartite etched glass vestibule door; stair hall and corridor, scagliola Corinthian columns; coffered ceiling, modillioned cornice; heavy decorative cornice, paired brackets. Wooden Imperial stair; 3 round-arched stained glass stair windows depicting Celtic mythological scene, ?JA? monogram, unsigned; niches to right and left of stair landing. Ornate marble chimneypieces in upper bedrooms. Room to W off hall; coffered, heavy decorative plasterwork; Corinthian columns with ?JA? monogram; geometric ceiling. East front room, plasterwork ceiling, egg and dart moulding, beading, dentil cornice.