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Summary

Description

Late 18th or 19th early century. 2-storey, wide 3-bay rectangular-plan house. Harl-pointed coursed whinstone rubble; raised ashlar margins; stone cills; ashlar rybats; strip quoins; base course; eaves course.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: nearly symmetrical; 4-bays at ground floor. Low doorway off-centre right; window abutting to left; windows to outer bays. Three 1st floor windows set close to eaves. 2 cast-iron roof lights.

NE ELEVATION: doorway off-centre right and to far left. 1st floor window to far right.

NW (REAR) ELEVATION: not seen, 2003. Adjacent to large (former printing) works.

SW ELEVATION: 1-? storey rendered garage adjoins at an angle.

All windows and doorways boarded up. Pitched roof, grey slates; straight ashlar skews.

INTERIOR: not seen, 2003.

Statement of Special Interest

Located in a prominent site at the foot of the Ochil Hills. Although incorporated into works in 1930, the building still maintains most of its outward architectural character displaying plain classical proportions. Swan states that the house is of mid 18th century date. It is possible however that a house was built here during the 18th century (circa 1767) at the time when James Erskine, Lord Alva, was actively developing the burgh.

However physical evidence demonstrates the building to be of later date, possibly circa 1800. The large windows in particular point to the later date. Locally, the house is reputed to have been the 1st in Alva taller than a single storey, and thereby christened 'The Castle'. Swan continues: "with walls 2 feet thick, the house sat guarding the entrance to the [Alva] Glen and provided four very crowded dwellings of one or two rooms each. The house was absorbed by Cunningham's Longbank Printworks in the 1930s and later became Stephen Clark Fabrications." The adjacent works is now vacant awaiting residential redevelopment (2003).

References

Bibliography

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