Description

Frederick T Pilkington, 1864-70. Almost square-plan mansionhouse in stylized Romanesque with abundant carved decoration (foliate and animal), on sloping site; 3 main storeys with entresole and attic floors; symmetrical gardens front (S elevation); subdivided 1929. Pink bull-faced sandstone with cream stugged or polished ashlar dressings and ornaments. Long and short quoins; battered base course; eaves courses with triangular geometric pattern and carved floral foliate, or animal head corbels.

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: bowed corner bay to outer left (see below); broa d blank chimneybreast with contrasting stone geometric patterns to inner left. 3 symmetrical bays to right; steps to central round-arched doorpiece with detached capitalled columns supporting stylized floral frieze and roll-moulded barrel-vaulted canopy culminating in elaborate armorial finial; 2-leaf boarded doors with iron hinges; round-arched bipartite windows with half-length capitalled column-mullions and margins flanking entrance to left and right in shaped recesses; large floral paterae above; 3 single round-arched windows at 1st floor with 2 incised floral motifs flanking each. Off-set bipartite window with pilaster mullion and stop-chamfered reveals and finialled pediment at 2nd floor (breaking eaves to left and above eaves to right).

S (GARDEN) ELEVATION: advanced central bays flanked by engaged round tower bays; 4 buttresses flanking garden entrance and windows at lower ground floor advanced bays; remaining windows shouldered; projecting columned 3-bay ROUND-ARCHED ARCADE TO RPRINCIPAL FLOOR AND BALUSTRADED ABOVE TO FORM BALCONY TO 1ST floor windows; 2 pilastered windows flanking centre at 1st floor, part of 3-light canted corner windows set on chamfered angles. Mirrored pair of round towers in outer bays comprised of shouldered single windows at ground floor, round-arched windows at principal floor; protruding cill course to 6 narrow lights at 1st floor, and conical roof.

W ELEVATION: bowed corner bay to outer right; broad blank chimneybreast with contrasting geometric patterns to penultimate right. 3 regularly windowed bays to left: central advanced bay with chamfered angles to ground and 1st floors; recessed bipartite window at ground floor; recessed round-arched single window at 1st floor with scalloped arch; segmental-arched bipartite window with capitalled column-mullion breaking eaves at 2nd floor in finialled Dutch gablehead.

N ELEVATION: central bowed staircase bay.

Plate glass and 4-pane sash and case windows. Grey slate piended and gabled roof with fishscale banding; distinctive gablehead stacks with individual flues linked by deep carved cornice; crown cans; moulded eaves guttering; lead finials; numerous original rainwater goods, including carved serpentine gargoyle.

INTERIOR (UPPER HOUSE): outstanding; intricate internal planning elaborately carved woodwork and moulded plasterwork throughout; exceptionally rich French rococo decoration (later) in drawing room; eleaborately carved Renaissance timber staircase. Lower house not seen 1990. High coped wall with pedestrian gateways linking grey slate piend-roofed double garage to house.

Statement of Interest

See separate listings for 38 Dick Place lodge and stables. Egremont is said to have been named after the home of Pilkington's second wife, although the contemporary Post Office Directory maps only ever refer to the house as Park House. Pilkington built Egremont for himself just after he had competed building Craigmount (demolished 1956) in a similar style at 52 Dick Place, and also the double villa at 48 and 50 Dick Place. The lodge to Egremont is later (circa 1875). The stables and offices were added in 1896 and converted to a dwelling house in 1930. Pilkington feued over 13 acres of land to the south of Dick Place from Sir John Dick Lauder of Grange and Fountainhall in 1864, but disposed of some of this to other developers. Sasine records show that Pilkington used his own house and land several times as security for loans. The ingenious internal planning of Egremont may have been an attempt to circumvent the conditions attached to the feuing contract, which stipulated that no house in the Grange should have more than 2 storeys. Externally the N, E, and W elevations appear to have 2 storeys and an attic, and the S elevation appears to have 2 principal storeys and a basement, whilst internally there are 3 storeys of public rooms to the south and 4 storeys of private and service rooms to the north.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17569515

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair