Drygrange House (Grangehall Care Home, Formerly St Andrew's College) Melrose, Scotland

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

Kinnear and Peddie (Charles G H Kinnear, architect) 1887-1889; additions and alterations 1910, J M Dick Peddie; further additions circa 1962 at time of change of use to St Andrew's College. Large, asymmetrically composed, 3-storey with basement and attic, L-plan, red sandstone Scots-Baronial and Scots Renaissance mansion situated on the banks of the Leader Water. 4-stage circular entrance tower with crenellated parapet in re-entrant angle of entrance court. Mullioned and transomed windows at principal floors. Corbelled pepperpot turrets with swept fish-scale slated conical roofs at angles; moulded corbel tables; balustraded parapets; crowstepped gables; pedimented dormer-headed windows with Renaissance finials. Steeply-pitched grey slated roofs. Axial and wallhead stacks. Plate-glass glazing to timber sash and case to upper floors. Cast-iron rainwater goods. FURTHER DESCRIPTION: ENTRANCE FRONT: Splayed balustered staircase with decorative wrought-iron lamps to entrance. Elaborately detailed pilastered doorpiece with billet detail at column neck; frieze with triglyphs and guttae, sculptured detailing at metopes; block pediment above cornice and sculptured heraldic panel with inscription in pediment above ('et industria probitate'), flanked by obelisk finials raised on balls. Stepped string-course at 1st floor, corbel table of multiple billet mouldings at 2nd. 3-storey turret in re-entrant angle corbelled out at 2nd floor level over squinch arch. Gable with canted bay in re-entrant angle to left of tower, full-height, with attic gable. ENTRANCE ELEVATION, S WING: 3 bays to right of tower with simple regular treatment of single-light windows; 4th bay shallow rectangular bay with 3-light windows, balustraded parapet at bipartite dormer, richly decorated; circular tower with fish-scale slated roof in re-entrant angle of projecting gable to right, latter with corbelled angle turrets. Bolection-moulded architrave and heavy nailed oak door with thistle-pattern to basement entrance in main re-entrant angle between S wing and W cross-arm. ENTRANCE ELEVATION, E WING: main house extends for 2 bays; outer bay with shallow rectangular tripartite bay with balustraded parapet forming balcony to tripartite above; 2 small timber dormers; corbelled angle turret at outer bay. Lower service range extending to left, crowstepped gable off-centre with decorative stack coping, grouped with circular angle tower. Unsympathetic reconstruction of balustraded area wall in front of courtyard elevations, 1990/91. N ELEVATION, (SERVICE COURT): segmentally-arched pend to service court in end gable of 2-storey and attic range; single-storey ranges beyond. E (REAR) ELEVATION: asymmetrical composition of parapets and crowstepped gables of service ranges masked at left by 1960s building and by single-storey flat roofed additions in NE re-entrant angle. S ELEVATION: 5-bay main block, central part regular 3-bay except at 1st floor with asymmetrical 3-light window on left, 2-light on right; flanked, on left, by full-height canted bay, corbelled out twice to reach square; on right, by rectangular tripartite bay rising to entablature and balustraded parapet,gable with single-light window above. End elevation of W wing recessed to left; full-height circular angle tower bay corbelled out at 1st floor level; rectangular bay in re-entrant angle at 1st floor with balustraded parapet. Stair and terrace on segmental arch with balustraded parapet, rises round it a SW angle, a 1904 addition. S terraced garden laid out at same time (1904). Late 20th century corrugated sheet iron fire-escape to W elevation. INTERIOR: much of original and 1910-14 refurbishment surviving. 17th century style scots renaissance plaster ceilings and timber panelling throughout. ENTRANCE HALL: wainscotted with cast-iron detailed radiator cases; decorative terrazzo floor; 2-tier broken pedimented ionic pilastered chimney-piece with neo-georgian cast-iron register and grate; mirror overmantle; Jacobethan plaster ceiling and strapwork cornice at upper landing. Rich timber architraved and pedimented doorcases. Central staircase with jacobethan-detailed newels and finials, and half-balusters alternating with full-height balusters. Very elaborate chimneypiece in wainscotted dining room, with coupled half-fluted doric columns below, and coupled corinthianesque fluted columns above flanking 2 shell niches; broken pediment above. 'boudoir' with bowed angle (at W) now subdivided (main part not seen): elaborate plaster ceilings, and bolection-moulded chimneypiece, of 1914 date. DRAWING ROOM: neo-rococo style; elaborate plaster ceiling and cornice. Gilt border moulding and rococo sopra porte decoration;original gilt pelmet.