Auchinlee, High Askomil, Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute

Description

Later 19th century. Large and asymmetrically composed Italianate villa (now rest home) consisting of 2-storey and attic rectangular block with 3-stage square tower at SW corner. Large semicircular bow centring S elevation, 2-storey service wing to E with modern 2-storey wing beyond.

Stugged sandstone ashlar walls, polished at arrises and dressings. Harled rear elevation with raised margins to corners and openings, projecting cills. Bull-faced base course to ground floor cill height, string course and cill course at 1st floor, eaves course. Ground floor windows with roll-moulded mullions and transoms, plain at 1st floor windows.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 3-bays, widely spaced. Tower in bay to left, channelled quoins, 2nd floor string course; single window at ground floor with roll-moulded surround, 1st floor window with channelled margins; arcaded tripartite window at 2nd floor with keystones, advanced apron to centre light, boss decoration at flanking aprons. Centre bay, large semicircular bow of 3 bipartite mullioned and transomed windows, plain pilasters between at 1st floor. Tripartite windows at ground and 1st floor of bay to right, ground floor window slightly advanced with boss decoration in panels above. Stone ventilators in base course.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 3 bays, with tower in bay to right. 1st bay,

2 small windows at ground floor, bipartite window above, mullioned and transomed. Entrance door at centre bay, projecting square-columned porch with corresponding pilasters flanking basket-arched doorway; 2-leaf, 8-panel door. Columns and pilastered projecting porch corniced entablature with balustraded parapet above. Stone entrance platt and steps. 1st floor window matching that at 1st bay. Tower at bay to right, W face matching S face (see above).

N (REAR) ELEVATION: irregularly fenestrated at ground floor. Ground and 1st floor, bipartite windows in bay to left, large 8-light, segmentally-arched mullioned and transomed stair window at centre. Blank right bay at first floor. Modern 2-storey flat-roofed addition to N of service wing.

SERVICE WING: 3-bay section of irregular heights, 1st bay, bipartite window at 1st floor with fluted mullion and bracketted cill. 3rd bay, bipartite window at ground floor, tripartite above. 2-bay elevation over bull-faced base course at modern wing. 1st and 2nd bays with bipartite and tripartite windows respectively, at ground and 1st floor.

Plate glass timber sash and case windows to all openings, meeting rails obscured by transoms at ground and 1st floor. 8-light mullioned and transomed segmental-arched stair window centring N wall. Green-grey piended slate roofs to main block (with platform), tower, bow and wing bell-cast at overhanging timber eaves, bracketted at S elevation. Lead finials to ridges of main block, finial base only at tower roof apex. Modern flat-roofed, slate-hung dormers to S and E pitches with tripartite and bipartite windows respectively. Modern water tank tower to N pitch, flat-roofed and slate-hung, with flanking segmentally-roofed dormers, E dormer accessing metal escape stair at NE corner of building. Cast-iron downpipes and profiled gutters, single square downpipe with brackets at E elevation. 2-flue ashlar wallhead stacks with deep copes and round cans piercing eaves at N and E elevations of main block, and E face of tower.

INTERIOR: many internal fitting surviving intact including 5-panel doors, plaster cornices and carved timber chimneypieces. Screen within entrance porch comprising stained glass inner door and flanking windows framed by fluted pilasters, cornice over and timber balusters fronting stained glass rectangular fanlight. Segmental-arched architraved openings off entrance vestibule, 1 accessing stair hall. 10-panel, 2-leaf timber doors to drawing room. Panelled dado in dining room, buffet recess in N wall flanked by square plaster columns with decorated shafts and capitals, matching columns flanking window in S wall. Principal staircase behind classical screen, comprising pedestals surmounted by columns with bases and decorative capitals, lower shafts decorated with reliefs of classical figures. Corresponding pilasters with fluted upper shafts at walls. Timber staircase, square balusters and newels with octagonal caps. Stair well infilled with modern timber lift shaft, stained glass stair window in N wall depicting seasons. Upper staircase behind screen of 3 arcaded arches, balustrade with turned spindles and newels with ball finials.

BOUNDARY WALLS: rendered retaining wall with droved ashlar cope to rear of building. Random rubble boundary wall to road with ashlar cope. Bull-faced gatepiers with bases, chamfered corners, and pyramidal caps with large ball finials. Small timber pedestrian gate surviving to left.

Statement of Interest

This building is of good quality design and construction. Despite some out of character alterations to the rear, the E wing has been sympathetically designed so that the important view of the building from the S shows little alteration, and as such this remains one of Campbeltown?s finest villas.

External Links

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