Deanston House
Deanston House
This is a 19th century, category B listed country manor which is situated in large grounds on the edge of Deanston village. It sits in its own landscaped parkland on higher ground.
The original building was a 2-story and basement mansion, dating from c 1820, and was the home of the Manager of Deanston Cotton Mill, James Smith.
In 1881 the house was re-modelled and greatly enlarged, with 3-storey additions, and a 5-storey entrance tower and conservatory in the Italianate manner. A new avenue approach was laid out with a lodge house and a grand entrance with elaborate stone gate piers and decorative ironwork gates. This was all for use by mill owner Sir John Muir and his wife, while the Mill Manager was given the smaller Deanston Villa (presumably built around the same time as the makeover of the main house).
Deanston House was set within expansive parkland. This included a significant area of woodland to the north-west (rear) of the house laid out with pathways, a large lake, a walled garden and an arboretum. Paths led from both Deanston House and Deanston Villa down into the mill complex. There was also a farm steading.
The grounds to the front of the mansion were set out as a designed landscape, to appear as ‘natural’ parkland and also to allow views to and from the mansion in its wider setting
Later History
After Lady Muir’s death in 1929, the house was sold and subsequently had various incarnations:
- Newstead private school ,
- being commandeered during the Second World War,
- a Co-operative convalescent home from 1944,
- a hotel in the 1950s to 1970s (see picture above),
- converted to a Nursing Home in 1980.
In 2014, after a period of lying empty, the house was converted again and renamed to the Manor Hall Centre for Trauma opening in 2015. Then in 2019 there was yet a further renovation and rename (back to the original) Deanston House. It now provides “residential care for individuals over the age of 18, and who have a Learning Disability and complex needs, such as an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, a mental health condition, sensory impairment or physical disability.”
At some point during all the above changes, the ownership of the house and grounds was divided. A large section north-west of the house where the walled garden and steading stood, has been developed for housing. The majority of the ‘parkland’ in front of Deanston House and its former lodge remain, now in separate ownership.
A significant part of the original parkland still survives, including the approach avenue, the former lodge house and the surrounding walls. Other parts have been sold off for housing development.
Ref the Deanston Conservation Area Appraisal – July 2015