Description

Later 19th century, dated 1890. 3-storey, 6-bay, rambling-plan house, former hotel, now conference centre. Grey harl with sandstone margins and dressings. Base course, quoin strips; string course; eaves cornice.

S (MAIN) ELEVATION: asymmetrical elevation, 6 bays, modern glass and timber conservatory addition masking ground floor. Canted tower to outer left; windows with masonry transoms at principal floor; parapet, dies with ball finials, steep polygonal roof with oculi. Bay to right with windows near-symmetrically disposed, segmental-headed shell pediment breaking eaves at 2nd floor. Canted bay to right from ground to 1st floor, window above, gable breaking eaves, ashlar coping to skew and skew blocks, datestone in gablehead. Entrance off-centre to right, pilastered door with heavy triangular pediment, decorative armorial plaque; small window above directly under consoled balconette of 2nd floor window, segmental-headed shell pediment (balconette following line of parapets of canted windows). 2 identical bays to outer right, canted windows at ground, 1st floor; bipartite windows at 2nd floor, triangular pediment breaking eaves.

W ELEVATION: 4 bays asymmetrically disposed with modern breeze block, prefabricated building masking ground level; canted tower to outer right. Narrow bay to left of tower, wallhead stack breaking eaves; Jacobean armorial plaque ?hope is constant in thee? below string course/cornice line at principal floor level. 3-bay block to left; narrow gabled block slightly advanced at centre, window at principal floor, bipartite window at 2nd floor; flanking bays with window at principal floor, that to right with stone transom, segmental-headed pediments, shell motif.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: asymmetrical. 3-bay main block with jamb to outer right forming L-plan. Tripartite slightly advanced windows, shallow pediment, stone mullions at ground outer left. Large, round-headed, transomed and mullioned, leaded stair window at lower asymmetrical gable in re-entrant angle.

Plate glass, 4-pane timber sash and case windows; stained, etched and leaded glass including good examples of Glasgow style glass. Grey-green slate roof, lead flashings. Tall, corniced wallhead stacks with quoin strips.

INTERIOR: egg and dart plasterwork in hall; polished wooden stair, full-height newel post, fluted with Ionic capital; stained glass and leaded stair window. Compartmentalised ceilings in ground floor reception rooms; round arch opening from W room to canted tower. Number of good column-flanked chimneypieces including earlier 20th century chimneypiece with cupboard overmantle; Corinthian column on dais at 1st floor landing.

SERVICE BLOCK: 2-storey, L-plan service block to NE; grey render with polished stone margins and dressings; stop-chamfered quion-strips; projecting eaves, exposed rafters; forestair at W elevation. Rectangular-plan service block to outer right, forestair at E elevation.

GARDEN BUILDINGS: lean-to, L-plan range of garden buildings outside walled garden to N. Rubble with yellow brick details and dressings; broad chimney stack with cornice, chevron band.

GARDEN BOUNDARY WALL: rubble with harl pointing, smooth ashlar semicircular coping.

BOUNDARY WALL, GATEPIERS AND RAILINGS: low rubble wall with ashlar saddleback coping. Curved entrances to E and W; inner and outer piers; stop-chamfered piers with stacked conical caps, floral motifs. Decorative cast-iron railings, fleur-de-lys, floral, quatrefoil motifs.

Statement of Interest

The house was formerly known as Heathfield and was built by the Donaldson family. The Kilcreggan Hotel, also on Argyll Road and formerly known as Woodvine, was also erected by one of the Donaldson family.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17774852

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
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  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
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  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
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  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
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  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)