Building record MAB3928 - GRANGE HALL

Country house and associated grounds, built in 1805, and said to be designed by William Stark, Edinburgh with later additions and alterations 1837, and by John Rhind, Inverness, in 1881, and further additions in 1898.

Country house and associated grounds, built in 1805, and said to be designed by William Stark, Edinburgh with later additions and alterations 1837, and by John Rhind, Inverness, in 1881, and further additions in 1898. It is a 2 storeys and attic mansion over a rock faced raised basement, with 5 bays on the main front South elevation. It has a tooled ashlar frontage, with coursed rubble flanks and rear and polished ashlar dressings. There is a wide, slightly advanced and pedimented centre bay, delineated by paired giant pilasters with stylised foliate capitals. A centre tripartite doorpiece is masked by a later classical portico, supported by stumpy Roman Doric widely spaced columns resting on, and integral with, a balustrade flanking flight of steps oversailing the raised basement. The attic storey was raised over 4 angles in 1881. There are French pavilion roofs, each fronted by an open pedimented wallhead dormer with a segmental headed window (8 dormers in all). There are 3-bay return elevations at the West, with a later projecting pilastered tripartite opening onto the balcony at the South, from which a balustraded flight of steps descends to the garden. There is 2- and 12-pane glazing used, a corniced wallhead and centre stacks, and piended platform roofs. An 1898 screenwall extends to the East, with a round-headed doorway and monogrammed tympanum under an open pediment. There are rock faced ashlar lower courses, tooled ashlar upper portion and ashlar cornice, blocking course and ball finials. Keystoned occuli flank the gate, with 2 similar in the basement flanking the front steps. There is also a substantial single-storey and basement, 4-bay rear addition, with a flat roof surrounded by an ashlar balustrade and a rear stair tower rising 1 stage above roof. This stage has clasping pilaster strips and arcaded panels, crowning cornice and a parapet. The ground floor public rooms of Grange Hall appear little altered from 1805, retaining their original decoration and fittings. The interior includes a fine entrance stairhall with an enriched decoratively banded plaster ceiling, a fluted columned screen supporting a Doric entablature and a cantilevered staircase with ornate cast-iron balusters. The drawing room and parlour open off the hall at the West, intercommunicating through double doors. There are decorated plaster ceilings, beaded panelled doors, dados, window shutters, bracketed overdoors with neo-classical details to the frieze and white marble chimneypieces. The dining room opens off the hall at the East. It has a swagged plaster cornice, and carved overdoors with a similar motif. There is a bracketted and corniced buffet recess, a grey marble chimneypiece, beaded panelled doors, dados and window shutters. The estate was originally purchased by John Gordon Peterkin in circa 1800, and it was he who built the mansion house in 1805. His sister, who married Major Grant of Invererne taking the name Grant Peterkin, succeeded him. The estate remains in the Grant Peterkin family. The walled garden and gardener's bothy can be found to the South-East (NJ06SE0085). A dovecot (NJ06SE0003), probably built around the same time as the initial build of the mansion house, can be found to the North. The South Lodge (NJ05NE0073) can be found circa 580 metres to the South of the house.

Period Notes
Built in 1805, with additions in 1837, 1881 and 1898. It was designated on 25/04/1989.

MCKEAN, C, 1987, MORAY: AN ILLUSTRATED ARCHITECTURAL GUIDE, p.58-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1142.

MIERS, M, 2000, GRANGE HALL, MORAYSHIRE, p.50-55 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4620.

Record last edited

Mar 5 2018 4:28PM