| Details |
Mansion. The house is still in use. Dunphail House was built by William Playfair for the Comyn Earls, and dates from 1828 and was enlarged in 1833 and 1842. It is in Italiante style, is asymmetrical and has an oversailing roof of differing heights, with dentilled eaves, a porch and a three storey tower at the east end with a shallow pyramidal roof. There are long elevations to the north and south, and a 3-stage tower at the west gable with a shallow pyramidal roof. Constructed using pinned rubble with polished and tooled ashlar sandstone dressing. Additions were made by Alexander Ross in 1871. Subsequent alterations were carried out in 1964-66 under Ronald Phillips and Partners, in which parts of the additions made by Alexander Ross in 1871 were removed. The north entrance front is a 5-bay block at the west of the range, fronted by a wide single story advanced porch with engaged Roman Doric columns, a balustrade and a recessed segmental-headed entrance sheltering glazed doors under a radial fanlight. A further 4-bay range extends from the east gable, with a datestone of 1871, with a centre shallow porch blocked as window. There is a further extensive walled service court to the south, closed by a 2-storey service dwelling with shallow pyramidal roof dating to 1842. The south garden front is a symmetrical wide 3-bay block at the west, with a recessed centre bay that is spanned by a balcony with decorative balustrade and supported by paired pilasters and sheltering with a glazed entrance similar to the north. There is a mural sundial on the south face of the tower and a monogrammed plaque at the north. The south front extends to the east, with round-headed ground floor windows beneath a lean-to roof, which is supported by substantial buttresses dividing each window bay with end single bay with segmental-headed loggia and higher ffloor with round-headed tripartite and shallow pyramidal roof. There is multi-pane glazing, some of which is horizontal. Also, renewed ridge stacks and piended slate roofs. At the west there is a platform roof and modillioned eaves. The interior plasterwork was re-modelled by J. Brodie and Sons during renovations under John Wittet in 1928-32. During the 1964-66 work by Ronald Phillips and Partners, the woodwork was done by Jackson and Sons. An entrance lobby leads to a wide corridor hall through the centre of the west range to the garden door and veranda. Possibly re-used panelling is used, with niches and bookcases. There is plaster decoration to the ceiling, overdoors, panelled doors and some fluted pilasters delineating panelling. The drawing room has a carved wooden chimneypiece, an overdoor and panelled door with decorative beading. There is shallow coffering to the ceiling. The dining room has simple moulded detailing to the ceiling, a corniced overdoor and a marble topped radiator grill has replaced the former chimneypiece. There is a beaded mahogany door and panelled dado. The northwest sitting room has re-used panelling, delineated on the inner wall into three by fluted Ionic pilasters. There is round-headed keystoned detailing and a lugged and carved wooden chimneypiece with swaged detailing. There is a staircase with barley-sugar twist turned wooden balusters, and square end newels with carved swags in relief and urn finials. The 2005 map shows that the middle section of the house is disused. headed loggia and higher first floor with round-headed tripartite and shallow pyramidal roof. There is multi-pane glazing, some of which is horizontal.
|
Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Moray
HER -
NJ04NW0074 - DUNPHAIL HOUSE