Hall Of Tankerness, East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray, Orkney Islands

Description

Original hall to S, 1550; later (main) hall to NE, circa 1830, 2nd storey added, 1910; L-plan, embattled linking conservatory to angle between halls. Low 2-storey, 5-bay rectangular-plan crowstep-gabled, asymmetrical original hall. Harled. 2-storey and attic, 4-bay rectangular-plan, crowstep-gabled, near-symmetrical later hall with 3-light canted bay at ground. Harled. Curved, single storey kitchen court to W (rear) with embattled screen wall, terminating in circular-plan dairy, forming roughly triangular service court to rear. Harled; some coursed rubble exposed to dairy end. Rectangular-plan burial ground to former chapel sited to SW of hall containing burial vault (see separate list description) and outbuilding.

ORIGINAL HALL: E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: rectangular-plan flat-roofed porch spanning 2 central bays at ground; part-glazed door with small-pane letterbox fanlight with windows flanking; window in each bay at 1st floor above. Glazed door at ground in bay to left. Window at each floor in bay to outer left. S portion of lean-to conservatory in bay to right.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: bipartite window in bay to centre. Part-glazed door with small window flanking to right and window flanking to left, in bay to right. Window at 1st floor in bay to outer right. Window in bay to outer left. Service wing abutting to left, projecting N (see below).

S (SIDE) ELEVATION: 2-bay elevation. Window in each bay at ground; window set to right at 1st floor; gablehead stack above.

SERVICE WING: W ELEVATION: 6-bay concave screen wall; pointed-arched opening in each bay; window in bay to outer right. Evenly disposed pointed-arched window to flat-roofed terminating dairy.

E (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 5-bay convex elevation with regular, boarded doors; window in penultimate bay to right; stone flight with boarded door beneath to former dairy roof; part-glazed timber dairy door with pointed-arched traceried fanlight to right. Detached, square-plan embattled garage adjacent to N.

10-pane lying-pane timber sash and case windows; 2- and 12-pane timber sash and case windows; small flush rooflights to both pitches. Graded stone slated roof; stone ridge; harled, corniced gablehead and central ridge stacks. uPVC rainwater goods.

LATER HALL: E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: tall window at ground with bipartite window at 1st floor above in bays to centre. Tall window at ground in bay to outer right; window at 1st floor above. 3-light canted bay at ground in bay to outer left; window at 1st floor above.

S (SIDE) ELEVATION: 2-bay elevation. Window at each floor in each bay; heraldic panel to gablehead above. E portion of linking conservatory to outer left.

N (SIDE) ELEVATION: single window at 1st floor in bay to left. Paired windows at 1st floor in bay to right. Small attic window to gablehead; gablehead stack above.

W (REAR, KITCHEN COURT) ELEVATION: irregularly fenestrated single storey, lean-to service block spanning entire rear elevation, extending N, with square-plan embattled 2-storey terminating laundry. Tall stacks. Window in each of 3 bays to main house above. Square-plan

Variety of glazing patterns, including small-pane triple timber sash and case windows; 4-, 8-, 12- and 24-pane timber sash and case windows. Graded stone tiled roof; stone ridge; corrugated-iron and asbestos-tiles to kitchen wing; harled, corniced gablehead, ridge and mid-pitch stacks to hall; harled, corniced tall stacks to kitchen wing; Predominantly uPVC rainwater goods.

INTERIORS: not seen, 1998.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATEPIERS: square-plan rubble gatepiers with corniced and cope sited to S of house; rubble quadrant wall to right with timber railings; replacement wrought-iron gates.

Statement of Interest

The original low 2-storey southern wing of the house was built for the Groats of Tankerness before passing to James Baikie, a Kirkwall merchant, around 1630, remaining in his family until the 1950s. It was perhaps extended northwards in the 1730s when James Baikie let part of the house to a tenant. In the 19th century a broad, single storey corrugated-iron pavilion with an encircling veranda (since demolished) was added to the NE. Features of interest include the curved service range to the N with its Gothick windows, and small, terminating dairy (formerly with a conical roof).

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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