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Summary

Description

Early 16th century, additions 1649 and RW Billings, 1857-59, restored and converted 1980s. 3-storey, square-plan courtyard, castellated country house now flatted. Keep with caphouse to centre, enclosed by flanking wings and courtyard wall opposite.

KEEP: early 16th century. 3-storey with caphouse, 3-bay, rectangular-plan. Bartizaned parapet; billeted corbelling, round angle towers. Squared red sandstone, yellow ashlar quoins. W (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 4-centred-arch doorway to centre, bead-moulded architrave, roll-moulded to reveal, angled panel frames bearing Hamilton ciphers flanking arch; gunloop to right. 2 offset arrow slits to 2nd storey, outer right bay. Paired, tall, architraved windows to centre of 3rd storey. Crowstep-gabled caphouse; coped gablehead stack, panel frame bearing Hamilton of Dalzell arms to gablehead. E (REAR) ELEVATION: narrow window to centre, entrance to right, tall narrow window to 2nd storey centre. N (SIDE) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining N wing. S (SIDE) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining S wing.

NE WING: circa 1649. 3-storey, 4-bay, rectangular-plan, crowstep gabled block. Squared red sandstone with yellow ashlar quoins and margins to openings. E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: Base course, continuous stugged hoodmould to 1st floor windows. 2nd floor added by RW Billings, 1857-59; shoulder-arched windows below corbelled and crenellated parapet. 4-stage, square-plan stair tower added to NE corner, battered to octagonal embattled parapet. W (REAR) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining N wing. N (SIDE) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining coachhouse and stables. S (SIDE) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining keep.

S WING: circa 1649. 3-storey, 7-bay, rectangular-plan, gabled block. Pedimented windows breaking eaves with strapwork to tympanum, stair tower with candle-snuffer roof to SW corner. Squared red sandstone coursers. Crowstepped gables. N (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 3-storey, 4-bay; 3-stage, corbelled stair turret candle- to centre, small gunloops. Triangular-plan Billings addition to outer left return, small pedimented windows to 2nd and 3rd floor. Small half-gable end, window to ground to right. S (GARDEN TERRACE) ELEVATION: 4-storey, 7-bay, slightly irregular fenestration. Pedimented dormers breaking eaves, gabled roof dormers. 4-stage, corner tower to far left candle-snuffer roof. Billings addition full-height gabled, canted bay to centre, bowed oriels flanking canted oriel to centre of 1st floor with billeted fan corbelling. Gabled attic storey with corbelled bartizans, flat-roofed, bays behind gablehead. Engaged 2-stage, stair tower to right return. E (SIDE) ELEVATION: panel frame to gablehead, projecting battered, chimney flue to far right, terminating in coped wallhead stack. W (SIDE) ELEVATION: window to left, pediments with strapwork tympani carving. Courtyard wall abutting to left return, stair tower to right.

N WING: RW Billings, 1857-59. 3-storey, 5-bay, L-plan, gabled block. Octagonal stair tower to NW corner, crowstepped gables. S (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 3-stage, engaged stair tower to centre with candle-snuffer roof, asymmetrical fenestration. Gabled dormerheads breaking eaves to 2nd floor. Pointed arrow slit with small diamond-shaped window to centre of 3rd storey. Engaged, 4-stage stair tower with small, bartizaned gabled caphouse to S return. Narrow recessed links to main body of N wing to left and keep to right. N (REAR) ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining coach house. Corbelled machiolation to 1st floor. W (SIDE) ELEVATION: stepped stringcourse between floors, bipartite 3-stage, octagonal-plan stair tower to NW corner.

INTERIORS: converted into 16 apartments in late 1980s. Billing's Jacobethan interiors preserved throughout including coffered wood panelling and plasterwork, doors and fireplaces. Principle apartments: drawing room (flat 7), free standing carved timber Corinthian columns; library (flat 6); banqueting hall (flat 8); billiard room (flat 16) and vaulted entrance hall.

Predominantly 12-pane sash and case windows. Grey slates, lead flashing. Coped gable stacks and skews, skewputts. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

COURTYARD WALL: later 17th century curtain wall, heavily altered by RW Billings, 1857-59. 7-bay wall with central walkway behind parapet. Red sandstone coursers and yellow sandstone ashlar. Cavetto moulded cornice supporting embattled parapet, stepped to link to angled square-plan, corbelled corner turret to S; arrow slits, incised star-shaped cresting. Large segmentally-arched carriage entrances to N and S outer bays; roll-moulded to reveals and hoodmoulded. Arcaded interior elevation; continuous plinth, banded columns with corbelled capitals; diamond-shaped openings above, short nailhead mouldings beneath, continuous hoodmould.

WELLHEAD: RW Billings, 1857-59. Canopied stone wellhead within courtyard. Plinth, banded columns, guilloche moulding to entablature, rope moulded cornice, conical roof, ball finial. Grey, fishscale slates. Decorative wrought iron screen.

STEADING: RW Billings, 1857-59. Predominantly single storey, rectangular-plan courtyard block. Half gabled entrance tower to N. Squared and tooled yellow sandstone coursers. Crowstepped gables, regular fenestration and converted entrances facing courtyard, blind exterior walls. N (ENTRANCE) WING: 2-storey, Single bay, square-plan entrance tower to centre with gablet-roofed belfry. S (REAR) WING: 2-storey, 4-bay. Mansard roof. E (SIDE) WING: W facing. Single storey with exposed basement to W, 5-bay. Flying entrance steps to stepped central doorway. 3-bay link to main house adjoining to left. 3-bay, shallow columnar arcade to ground, small gabled caphouse. W (SIDE) WING: 2-storey, 4-bay block to centre. 3-stage, square plan, gabled clock tower to centre rear, set at angle.

TERRACED GARDEN: later 17th century, altered by RW Billings, 1857-59. Extensive 3-tier, steeply terraced garden; long, narrow rectangular-plan terraces. S facing overlooking Dalzell Burn gorge. Squared sandstone coursers with ashlar ovolo moulded semicircular-arched coped parapets. TIER 1: adjacent to house. Entrance from park to far left; stepped coping to square-plan piers nailhead boss ornament, moulded pyramidal caps. Recessed steps from front esplanade of house, caps with segmental pediments to square-plan piers, strapwork carving to tympani. Recessed steps to centre to 2nd tier. TIER 2: corbelled bartizans to outer corners. Small flight of steps up to small mezzanine terrace to far right. Door in outer wall to far left, steps down to 3rd tier. TIER 3: quadrant corners, 3 horizontal terraces running down from right to left.

Statement of Special Interest

The 15th century peel tower, now the central core of the house, was first enlarged in 1649 by James Hamilton of Boggs. A formal garden and approaches were laid out at this time, the outline of which is still discernible beneath later landscaping- in particular the main E-W approach axis across the Sow Bridge (see separate listing). The eighteenth century saw a gradual decline in the family's fortunes with much of Dalzell House falling into dilapidation until a second phase of development came in the mid 19th century, financed by the family's briefly lucrative local coal and steel interests. This was a massive programme of restoration, alterations and additions designed and overseen by RW Billings. Billings was the ideal architect for the works having published his acclaimed 'The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland' only four years previously in 1852, many of the seventeenth century architectural forms and ornament illustrated in the book appearing in Billing's work at Dalzell. Billings had a close personal involvement with Dalzell House, living there for three years and executing most of the new plaster and stone work himself. Besides the new west wing Billing's carried out substantial remodelling of the existing building, particularly the keep. The original entrance had been to the right-hand side of the keep but was incorporated into a new projecting passage linking the keep to the east wing. The present vaulted entrance hall was formed out of the keep's cellars excavated by Billings. He also divided the central hall into two storeys, enlarged windows and installed fireplaces. A more detailed account of Billing's time at Dalzell is given in MacGibbon and Ross. The grounds also underwent landscaping at this time by a local man Andrew Cassells, probably working under Billing's supervision. Three new gate houses, Clyde Bridge, North Lodge and Burn Grange, were also built in this period (see separate listings). Lord Hamilton of Dalzell died in 1952 and the estate was sold and after being abandoned for many years Dalzell House was restored in the late 1980s

References

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