Meldrum House

On the lower edge of an E-facing slope overlooking a wide flat plain. Meldrum Castle (TS061-56001-), which is possibly an early 17th fortified house, lies c. 400m to the E. This house has two separate construction phases. The original house (ext. dims. 15.97m E-W; 7.55m N-S; wall T 0.64-0.7m), at the W end, which appears to be late 17th century in date, is one room deep and consists of a four-bays with projecting gable-fronted end bays (Wth 3-3.08m; D 1.22m). Though the construction is obscured by the external render, it appears to be largely of rubble limestone randomly coused with the block and start quoins visible at the SW angle. There is some evidence of brick in the walling but this may be the result of later repairs or modifications. There is a two-course brick eaves beneath an A-frame timber-pegged, slated roof. While the house currently has two storeys with an attic, the ground floor is very high and this, together with the possible indication that the external ground level has been raised (H 1.15m), suggests that there was a basement level. There is a rendered chimney stack at each gable and a large projecting chimney (L 4.7m; D 0.53m) at the rear. The eastern chimney stack may be a later addition to service the later Georgian house which was built onto and incorporates the E gable of the original house. The fenestration in the front elevation is regular consisting at ground-floor level of two central nine-over-sixteen pane windows continuing to ground level and a nine-over-six pane timber-sliding sash window in the W bay and at first-floor level consisting of six-over-six pane timber-sliding sash windows with round-headed openings over those in the projecting bays and rendered roundels above. A doorway has been inserted at ground-floor level in the eastern projecting bay, possibly in the position of the original doorway. This doorway is surmounted by an armorial plaque (TS061-021001-) which bears a date of 1622 and is likely to have come from Meldrum Castle. There is a wooden spiral stairs in the W projecting bay. Though this stairs appears to be of 19th-century date, the original stairs may have occupied the same position. There are two windows at attic level in the W gable and internally there is a dooway at the N end of the W gable at first-floor level which has been blocked up and not visible externally as it is covered with a concrete render. The rear elevation has three windows at ground-floor level, that immediately W of the projecting chimney appears to be a relatively recent insert, and three at first-floor level, one being where the chimney stack narrows. A doorway has been inserted under the most easterly window at ground level. There is a water pump against the front elevation between the two ground floor windows which was fed from a brick-lined well, with storage comparments on either side, immediately in front of it. The five-bay, two storey over basement early Georgian house (ext. dims. 14m E-W; 9.81m N-S), built c. 1730, incorporates the original late 17th-century house, knocking through a gap at the N end of the E gable to connect the two at ground-floor level, with a similar arrangement above this at first-floor and attic level. There is an L-shaped courtyard facing the older house. The front elevation is divided externally at ground level by a stone wall running northward from the E angle of the E projecting bay.