Details |
Mansion house and gatepiers, still in use, and the site of a walled garden. It was built in 1829, or possibly 1879, on or near the site of a grange and castellated mansion. The grange belonged to Arbroath Abbey (NO64SW0018) until 1322, when it came into the possession of the Durham family. They built a castellated mansion, named 'Castle of Grange' on the site, possibly in the 17th century as there is a Durham armorial stone dated 1610 in the associated lodge to the south-west (NO 4883 3284). Antiquarian reports, which give 1879 as the build date, note that when the current house was built the foundation of the former castellated building was found to the west. It is shown on the 1st edition OS map as a rectangular building with a shallow L-plan building to the north. There is a walled garden to the east (NO 4900 3291). At this time it is named 'South Grange'. On the 2nd edition OS map the house there are extensions to the east and west, projecting to the north, and it is named 'Grange of Monifieth'. The building to the north has been altered and extended further north. There are two irregular buildings to the north-east (NO 4902 3301), and a large greenhouse in the northern section of the walled garden. Current maps show further additions to the east of the mansion, and the other buildings and walled garden have been replaced with residential buildings. The current building was built by James Black, and is a two-storey irregular rectangular plan with additions, classically detailed mansion house. It is harled, with painted ashlar dressings and V-section channelled quoins, and a piended slate roof with corniced, panelled stacks. The central doorway on the south elevation has channelled pilasters and a square portico with Doric piers and an entablature. There is a two-storey canted bay to the west, with moulded architraves above a door. There is a similar bay to the east, but with large channelled pilasters with a moulded cill and cornice to the ground-floor door, and a simple pilastered window at the first floor. The other elevation have a modillion cornice and blocking course. The mansion remains in residential use, although it has been split into flats. There are gatepiers to the south of the main drive, possibly reusing late-17th century stone. They are squat ashlar gatepiers with moulded bases and ogival caps, with the remains of side scrolls. A site visit by SUAT in 2001 noted blocks of worked masonry on the mound to the rear of the club building. In the wooded area to the south of the mansion house are two massive stone gate pillars, those reputed to date to 1650, and to the east of these are the remains of rough mortared stone work.
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