Letterfourie House is a Georgian house in Moray, built by Robert Adam and completed in 1773. Its main block has three main storeys, with a raised cellar that opens onto the shaped water gardens on its south side. It was designated a Category A listed building in 1972.
| Letterfourie House | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Town or city | Parish of Rathven, Moray |
| Country | Scotland 57°38′49.92″N 2°55′45.19″W / 57.6472000°N 2.9292194°W |
| Construction started | 1772 |
| Completed | 1773 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Robert Adam |
| Designations | Category A listed building[1] |
Description edit
Letterfourie House, one of the largest Georgian houses in Moray,[2] lies above the Burn of Buckie, about a mile east of Drybridge[3] in the parish of Rathven. The building consists of a central block built of pink pinned tooled granite,[4] with pavilion wings of harl pointed rubble connected to the main house by three-bay linking blocks,[4] all set out at right angles in a U-plan.[2]
North Elevation edit
The north side of the main block presents as a three-bay, three storey building,[1] the main entrance having a Corinthian columned porch,[5] approached by a shallow flight of stairs,[1] necessitated by the raised basement. The principal windows have architraves and blind balustraded aprons.[5]
South Elevation edit
The south side of the house faces onto the gardens. From this side, the basement appears to the south of the house as a lower ground floor level,[4] and so from the south each element of the house presents four storeys, with a central entrance to the basement level, with decorative fanlight, leading giving access to the gardens.[1] The upper three storeys have five bays, and the blocked central window on the upper floor has a dated keystone.[2] The basement chapel has two large, round headed windows, with intersecting astragals at their heads.[2][1]
Interior edit
The interior design has been described as excellent.[2] The principal rooms are lined with Spanish mahogany, which the Gordon brothers had sent back from Madeira[4] where they had made their fortune in the wine trade.[1]
The main north entrance leads into and east–west aligned entrance hall, with a cantilevered staircase that gives access to the upper floors.[2] The dining room, looking onto the garden, is lined with mahogany, and features a fireplace with white a marble chimney piece and an unusual steel basket grate by James Fraser of Banff, which has a curved, decorated front which can be retracted to avoid soiling from overheating.[2][1] Fine chimney pieces and fireplaces can also be found in the library, and in the first floor drawing room which also features original hand-painted wallpaper and fine, early- to mid-nineteenth century plasterwork.[2][1] The former chapel, which no longer has any of its original fittings,[1] has a groined, vaulted ceiling, and is flanked by engaged, fluted pilasters.[4][2]
Gardens edit
There is a shaped water garden to the south side of the house. Installed in the early to mid-nineteenth Century,[4] it has two round pools linked by a narrow canal.[2] Each pool features a fountain, with square plinths and wide, scalloped bowls.[1] There is also a large walled garden approximately 450 metres from the house, with a former garden room and orangery.[2]
Craigmin Bridge edit
Within the grounds of the house, Craigmin Bridge carries what was once the main carriageway leading to the house over the Burn of Letterfourie.[2] Probably designed by Adam at the same time as the house,[6] its significance is recognised in its individual Category A listing.[7]
History edit
Letterfourie House was built as a home for two bachelor brothers from the Gordon family to retire to upon their return to Scotland.[4] James Gordon was a wine trader who had established himself in Madeira, and Alexander had been a Jacobite who had been forced to flee Scotland for a time following the Battle of Culloden. They commissioned Robert Adam to build the house;[6] work started in 1772, and it was completed in 1773.[2] It was the first house Adam built in Scotland after returning from his Grand Tour, and the Sir John Soane’s Museum holds his original designs for it.[8]
The Gordon brothers were staunchly Roman Catholic, and the house was built at a time when Catholics were not permitted to worship publicly,[4] so the house was built to include a private chapel and accommodation for a priest.[2]
The reel The House of Letterfourie, also known as 'Lasses look behind you', by William Marshall of Fochabers, is named for the house.[9][10]
The house was designated as a Category A listed building in 1972.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Historic Environment Scotland. "Letterfourie House and fountains (LB15541)". Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Walker and Woodworth (2015). Pevsner Architectural Guides - The Buildings of Scotland - Aberdeenshire: North and Moray. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. pp. 686–688. ISBN 9780300204285.
- ^ "Letterfourie House". Gazetteer for Scotland. Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Letterfourie House". Aberdeenshire Council. Aberdeenshire Council. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ a b McKean, Charles (1987). The District of Moray - An Illustrated Architectural Guide (First ed.). Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press. p. 124. ISBN 0707305284.
- ^ a b "Building/Design Report, Letterfourie House". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Letterfourie, Craigmin Bridge over Burn of Letterfourie (LB15542)". Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "Important Adam mansion and estate in Scotland". Country Life. TI Media Ltd. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ "William Marshall (2)". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ^ "The Marshall Collections - Six Collections Of Music". MusicScotland.com. Music Scotland. Retrieved 19 April 2019.