Auchenheath, 90 Dundonald Road, Kilmarnock, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

Description

James Hay, 1909. 2-storey with partial attic and cellar, irregularly massed Arts and Crafts house on corner plot. Harled and painted ground floor; polished ashlar dressings, ground floor bay windows and stair turret; red tile hung 1st floor with pain tiles to lower section and fish-scale detail above. Overhanging eaves with bargeboards to gables.

NW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: essentially 4-bay L-plan with full-height tower in re-entrant angle. To 3rd bay, 3 stone steps leading to entrance door, surround with rusticated long and short quoins and projecting arched canopy, small narrow window to left; tripartite window above to 1st floor. To 4th bay, part of a 5-light projecting bow window encompassing corner of building; to 1st floor, single window. Projecting, gabled 2nd bay, 5-light canted stone bay window to ground floor; tripartite window to 1st floor; stone tower in re-entrant angle to right with narrow window at each floor. To 1st bay, single window with sloped eaves at 1st floor.

SW ELEVATION: essentially 3-bay. To centre: open fronted verandah, overhanging roof held on pair of painted stone columns, central door leading to hall, side light flanking; to 1st floor tripartite with inset balcony with painted turned railing. To left: part of a 5-light projecting bow window encompassing left corner of building with window adjacent; tripartite window to 1st floor, small window to gable head. To right: projecting rectangular bay window with 4-lights to front at both floors; to left return, paired lights to ground floor overlooking verandah, blind to 1st floor; to right return, paired windows to both floors.

SE ELEVATION: later single storey conservatory to ground floor left, replacing gabled glass conservatory; tripartite window to right. To 1st floor, tripartite window to right, smaller window to centre.

NE ELEVATION: to right of elevation: gabled end, central door with narrow window to flanks; to 1st floor gable, pair of plain windows. To left return, steps leading to rear door, small window to right flank, bipartite window to left flank, smaller paired cellar windows below; to 1st floor, window with smaller window to left. To left of elevation: pair of windows to ground floor left and centre, full height stack between; further hall window to right; to 1st floor, small window to right of stack; large bipartite staircase window to right.

Timber sash and case windows to ground floor with 6-pane upper sashes and plate glass lower sashes. Replacement multi-paned casement window to principal elevations of 1st floor. Piended red tiled roof with matching terracotta ridge tiles and overhanging eaves. Plain timber barge boards with angle and purlin finials. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods, downpipes partially concealed in tower / bay windows angles. Various harled and painted stacks with plain stone copes and terracotta cans; some stacks to roofline, full height adjoined stack to NE elevation.

INTERIOR: timber panelling to entrance hall, half-landing and landing; timber-panelled doors to most rooms. Some fireplaces remain. Plaster cornicing to principal rooms.

BOUNDARY WALL & GATEPIERS: harled and white washed boundary wall with widely spaced raised rectangular sections; moulded and channelled concrete copes to all. Pair of taller harled and white washed gate piers to W angle of wall, painted decorative squared shields to outer face, flat moulded and channelled concrete caps surmounting; matching stepped wing wall flanking; much later replacement wrought-iron gates.

Statement of Interest

The design of this house is by James Hay, an Edinburgh born and trained architect. He made his way to Kilmarnock in 1896 to become the assistant of Gabriel Andrew, a well-known and prolific local architect. Hay set up his own practice in 1898 at 9 John Dickie Street, although he is not listed in the local directories until 1901. Elements of his work still show the influence of Gabriel Andrew. The shaped boundary wall here is similar to that at Evelyn Villas in Holehouse Road; both men also use the rectangular and arched bay window with stone transoms and mullions. At the time No.90 was designed, Hay was much in demand for building large Arts and Crafts houses with vernacular details. The most popular location for these houses was in Southwood, Troon where many wealthy Edwardians commissioned homes. Hay was responsible for at least 3 of the houses, still there today. This house was fairly grand with a rural aspect when it was built for Andrew Ross. The ground floor contained a vestibule, a cloakroom and w.c in the tower; a den; a panelled hall leading to the verandah; a dining room; a drawing room; a kitchen with a pantry and scullery leading off it; a lobby with store cupboard; a sewing room and a parlour. A large timber staircase led upstairs. The upper floor had 6 bedrooms, a servants' bedroom, a bathroom, a separate wc off a large landing. After many years in business on his own, the firm became James Hay and Partners; he then went into partnership with Gabriel Steel in Kilmarnock and the firm survived well into the 20th century. Listed as a good example of a now urban private house by James Hay.

External Links

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