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Summary

Description

Probably James MacLaren, c1890 (see Notes); converted to Field Studies Centre for Garth Memorial Youth Hostel 1951, and to private dwelling 1988; porch added 1990s (see Notes). Fine tall single storey and 2-storey, L-plan Arts and Crafts house with single storey wing converted from former power house but retaining spatial element. Whitewashed harl with contrasting sandstone base course, corbels, arrowslits and crowsteps; jettied first floor; squared rubble forestair with voussoired semicircular opening. Variety of roof levels accentuate vertical emphasis of asymmetrical crowstepped gables and emphatic horizontal of former power house wing.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: principal elevation to SW with dominant forestair to advanced 2-storey bay at left with outer angles corbelled to square at 1st floor; lean-to porch in re-entrant angle at right incorporating broad depressed arch entrance and diminutive square opening; 3 regularly-fenestrated single storey bay set back at right. NW elevation altered.

INTERIOR: simple interior retaining some plain cornices, slate window ledges and metal stand-pipe (or fire hydrant) to former power house; original timber fireplace to 1st floor bedroom.

Multi-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case and top-openings windows. Grey/green slates. Coped ashlar and harled stacks with clay cans. Ashlar-coped crowstepped gables with beak skewputts, slightly overhanging eaves and plain bargeboarding.

Statement of Special Interest

This well-detailed former power house for nearby Garth House, sited close to Fortingall in beautiful Perthshire countryside (MacLaren's roots were in rural Perthshire) belies its utilitarian nature through skilful design incorporating carefully selected Scottish vernacular elements embodied within an already comfortably established English Arts and Crafts vocabulary. The power house became Scotland's first Field Studies Centre when Garth House was converted to a Youth Hostel in 1951. A picture from this period shows a piended wing to the NW where there is now a narrower gabled projection. After closure of the Field Studies Centre, the building was converted to a dwelling house in 1988. Alan Calder notes that the 1990s lean-to porch was copied from the porch at Kirkton Cottages in nearby Fortingall.

Attributed to James MacLaren, Gentian House reflects much of the stylistic detail recognisable in Glenlyon Farmhouse, Kirkton Cottages at Fortingall and Aberfeldy Town Hall (all of 1889). The Garth and Drumcharry estates had been purchased in 1880 by shipping magnate and politician Sir Donald Currie, MacLaren's patron. Garth House, designed by Andrew Heiton, had been built in the late 1830s. Sir Donald had employed Andrew Heiton Jnr to 'aggrandize the mansion with fairytale corner turrets and conical roofs to the front elevation, a castellated parapet to the porte cochère ... and internal alterations' (Calder, p66), subsequently renaming it Garth Castle. However, when in 1885 Sir Donald purchased the Glenlyon estate, he chose James MacLaren, (whose father John was a political ally of Currie) to mastermind the planned improvements. Calder says 'Their initial collaboration, the design of estate buildings in Fortingall, was a 'dream commission' for an architect with Arts and Crafts sympathies' (pp70, 71). MacLaren was employed by Sir Donald to execute designs for both home and business, including interiors for his shipping fleet, the Castle Line.

James MacLaren died suddenly in 1890, at the time when he was working on re-designing interiors at Garth House, and presumably adding the power house. A number of his commissions were successfully completed by the practice of Dunn and Watson.

The importance of MacLaren's influence in the late 19th century vernacular revival movement can be seen in just a handful of known examples. His use of harl to cover the whole building pre-dates Voysey's all-render houses, and his rejection of Scottish baronial, using instead simpler 17th century Scottish detailing, succeeded, as Calder justifiably states, 'in re-defining Scottish architectural influences to create a contemporary style'. Amazingly, Gentian House, despite its original utilitarian purpose to house a generator and provide living accommodation for an estate employee, exhibits all of these characteristics, clearly endorsing the MacLaren attribution.

References

Bibliography

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