Durn House Stables, Durn Road, Portsoy

Single storey and loft, wide 5-bay stable and carriage house range. Rubble, ashlar dressings. Slightly advanced and gabled centre bay with large garage entrance slapped in ground floor. Single round-headed keystoned loft door with blocked imposts in centre of gable flanked by loft vents and with apex corniced bellcote. Doorway set in segmental recess in centre of outer bay at left (N); similar segmental entrance to carriage house in outer bay at right (S) single loft window above. Forestair at S gable with rubble parapet and round-headed recessed 'goose bay' in base, leads to loft entrance in S gable; plank door with 18th century hand-made latch with heart-shaped bracket. Later single storey gig house at N gable and low range of additional stables at rear. Slate roof.

Fine quality stables. Hay was dropped from loft through semi-circular openings to feeding bays below. Interior of stables similar to those at Gordon Castle, 1769-82, John Baxter, architect. Goose bay below external forestair housed geese which acted as 'watch dogs'. Unusual survival. (Historic Scotland)

October 2010: External inspection finds this interesting building in a largely sound state, but appears to be disused (although it may be in partial use for storage) but with ruinous elements (the additional stable block) to the rear. The bellcote is missing the bell. There are some slipped and missing slates, especially at eaves. Sections of rain gutters are missing to the front and entirely missing to the rear. The stone walls (with except of the rear section) are in good condition.

24 October 2013: External inspection finds the building remains in much the same condition as seen previously. There is evidence of a recent break-in at the site, the building now secured.

12 November 2014: Listed Building Consent for restoration and conversion to form a dwelling is being sought ref: APP/2014/3012.

24 October 2018: Full Planning Permission for the conversion of the building into a dwelling is being sought ref: APP/2018/2317. Consents (previously noted) for conversion of the property to residential use were conditionally approved Aug 2015.

15 October 2021: APP/2018/2317 conditionally approved.