Watling Lodge is a finely detailed and well-preserved example of a late 19th century Arts and Crafts villa, with the added importance of being constructed directly upon one of the best preserved stretches of the Antonine Wall. The villa was built in 1893 for Mr Fairley, the proprietor of a nearby chemical works. Red sandstone and the copious use of timber give the building a warm welcoming aspect. The green slated roof is broken up by prominent jettied half-timbered dormers with carved bargeboarded gables; and is capped by terracotta ridge tiles and underlined by overhanging bracketed eaves.

The timber sash and case windows contain examples of patterned, stained, frosted and leaded glass and this is echoed by the richly decorated lobby door and surround. The interior is richly finished with timber, panelled plaster and glass.

Both the main house and the brick stable block are today used by the Barnardo’s Cluaran Service and the Barnardo’s Axis Service – it is not a residential children’s home.

Open courtesy of Barnardo’s Scotland.

Wheelchair access to ground floor only. Parking on street/ disabled spaces in drive.

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