Details |
Mansion and dovecot. The mansion was built in 1827-30 to the designs of Archibald Simpson, architect. In 1881-5, there were extensive additions and remodelling work carried out, initially to a design by John Robertson, but taken over by John Rhind due to Robertson falling ill. There were further alterations and additions in 1887 by Alexander Ross, alterations in circa 1900, and further additions in 1986 by Edward Taylor. This has been suggested as the possible location of a grange of Arbroath Abbey (NO64SW0018). The name was changed from Newgrange to Letham Grange in 1822, when the estate was bought, and the lands and town of Newgrange are mentioned in an entry in the Register of the Great Seal for 1601, at the time of the dissolution of the abbey lands. The 1820s main block is two storeys, and oriented North-East/South-West. The front three bays of the five-bay North-East elevation have a large pediment above, supported by engaged Roman-Doric columns. At this time, there were two single-storey wings projecting North-East from each end, creating an irregular U-plan building. On the South-West elevation, there is a bowed two-storey centrepiece, which was domed at this time. The remodelling work in the 1880s kept many of the original features, adding to them and occasionally altering them. Both constructions were done in ashlar, however Simpson's work has weathered to a buff colour, and Roberson and Rhind's to a grey colour, so the changes are obvious in places. The entrance at the North-East elevation is masked by a single-storey porch, with Roman-Doric columns, a balustraded wallhead and large urn finials at the corners. The single-storey wings were raised to two storeys, and the wallheads balustraded in a similar style to the porch, with regular large urn finials. Round finialled dormers were also added around the mansion. The three-bay pediment was left as it was, with only the addition of an urn finial to each end. The inner angles between the North-East wings and the main block had full height bows added. On the South-West front, the dome above the bowed centrepiece was removed, and a large two-stage square tower added in its place. It has three-light windows in each face, rounded at the lower stages and squared at the upper stages. The corners of the tower are pilastered, and the wallhead is balustraded to the same design as the other work done at this time, but without the urn finials. The South angle between the main block and the Southern of the North-East facing wings was filled with a small conservatory, which was replaced with a much larger glazed conservatory in circa 1900. There is a two-bay single-storey extension to the North-East front of the Northern wing, with a two-stage tower to the rear and another single-storey addition behind it. These extensions have weathered a different colour to both Simson's and Robertson and Rhind's work, so is presumably from a different time. The roofs of the various parts of the mansion are piended, and are all slate. There is a large modern timber-built range directly to the North of the mansion. The mansion is used as part of a golf resort, with the golf course surrounding the building, and was also a hotel until 2011. To the North-West of the mansion, and to the rear of the modern range, is a rectangular 17th century lectern dovecot in poor condition, with the roof sloping to the South. It has crow-stepped gables, a rat-course, which drops lower on the South elevation, and flight holes within a low South-facing dormer. A site visit to the mansion by SUAT in 2001 noted that there are no visible pre-19th century remains.
|