Document record MAB62645 - RIVERSTONE HOUSE

Site of a house, probably built in the 17th century, although it may be 16th century, with later additions and alterations.

Site of a house, probably built in the 17th century, although it may be 16th century, with later additions and alterations. It is shown on the 1st edition OS map as a quadrangular house, with an entrance to the court in the north-west corner. There is a walled garden to the north-east and five associated buildings to the north, west and south-west, one of which is a greenhouse. On the 2nd edition OS map three of the associated buildings have been removed. There is a greenhouse and small rectangular building to the north and a large rectangular building to the west. Current maps show the house has been extended to the east. All the associated buildings have been removed aside from the rectangular building to the west, which has been altered and extended. The original 17th century part of the building is located centrally with the two side wings added latterly. The house began as a U-plan building facing north to the River Dee but was reversed in the early-19th century to become a bay-fronted villa facing south to the River Feugh. The interior of the house was re-designed at the same time. It is built using randomly coursed granite with a harl finish painted white, and is entered through an off-centre portico front door into the entrance hall. The under part of the main central area is a vaulted basement, accessed externally from the east elevation. The building to the west is a coach house constructed from rubble. The house was most recently in use as a bed and breakfast, has been unoccupied since 2007, and has since fallen into a bad state of disrepair. A Level 1 Standing Building Survey was carried out in April 2017 by Murray Archaeology Services prior to proposed demolition. The doorway on the south elevation of the main block no longer has the architraves with lion-head stops that are described by Geddes in 2001. The interior features of the house was mainly from its recent use as a bed and breakfast. Various alterations can be seen, including the removal of the vaulting in the basement described in 2001, which suggests fairly major structural alterations. None of the interior features of the walled garden shown on historic OS maps survives. The coach house and stable show little of their original form, having been converted for residential use in the 20th century.

Period Notes
Probably built in the 17th century, although it may be depicted on Pont's late 16th/early 17th century map. There are 19th century alterations.

GEDDES, J., 2001, DEESIDE & THE MEARNS: AN ILLUSTRATED ARCHITECTURAL GUIDE (Bibliographic reference). SAB2614.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2017, RIVERSTONE HOUSE, BANCHORY, ABERDEENSHIRE: STANDING BUILDING SURVEY, L1 SBS (Bibliographic reference). SAB7309.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2018, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, VOLUME 18, 2017, p. 12 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6463.

Record last edited

Oct 30 2019 2:40PM