Ossington Hotel, 26 West George Street, Kilmarnock, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

Description

1883. 2-storey with attic and basement, multi-bayed, French Renaissance style corner block, formerly hotel. Polished red Ballochmyle ashlar to ground floor of principal elevations, coursed red sandstone rubble to 1st floor and rear / side elevations. Segmental-arched windows with keystone to 1st floor. String courses and advanced eaves cornice with low parapet.

W (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: essentially 11-bay, divided into 3-blocks. To bays 1-3: 3 regularly placed shop windows to ground floor; to 1st floor, central stone balcony projecting from cornice with window behind, advanced pilasters flanking; segmental-arched window with apron panels to outer bays; central attic dormer with roof light to right. To bays 4-8: 3 former long windows, outer bays now altered to form doors; to 1st floor paired segmental arched windows to outer bays, similar single window to centre, 5 matching attic dormers. To bays 9-11: stepped, pilastered door surround to 9th bay, moulded consoles supporting cornice, triangular pediment to centre and vased plinths to flanks; giant windows adjoining each other to 10th and 11th bays. To 1st floor: slightly advanced outer bays with aedicule style surround windows with channelled pilasters and triangular pediments breaking eaves, top of door surround engaging window to left, apron panel below far right window; tripartite window to centre with apron panel below. To attic, pair of modern dormers to centre, former tops of lower pediments flanking.

N ELEVATION: 2-storey, 3-bay comprising central door surround with roll-moulded arrises, large rectangular window to flanks, angles of ground floor curved with squared corbels leading to 1st floor cornice. To 1st floor, central 3-sided projecting bay window with pilasters to flanks, triangular pediment with blind shield surmounting; segmental bipartite window to flanks, eaves cornice with shallow parapet surmounting. Modern dormers to outer bays of attic.

E ELEVATION: essentially 3 stepped blocks. Canted side return of N elevation to right: window to ground floor left; to 1st floor, window to left of each bay; paired attic dormer to left bay. To centre, canted 4-bay elevation divided 3,1 with 2-storey, extension, partially columned ground floor: to right bays, single window to basement, tripartite window to ground floor, single window to 1st floor; to left bays: door to lower ground floor left in stilted 2-storey, single bay lean-to addition, door to main building right; 3 regularly placed windows to ground floor, left bay in lean-to extension; to 1st floor, 3 regularly placed bays with matching attic dormers. To left, 3-storey and attic, 2-bay elevation: single windows to basement tripartite windows to ground and 1st floors; central bipartite window to attic.

S ELEVATION: former blind end concealed behind remaining inner wall of 6-12 John Finnie Street (former Operetta House, facade listed separately).

7 and 14-pane timber sash and case windows to principal elevations, divided 6 and 12-pane upper sashes with 2-pane or single pane lower sashes. 2-pane timber sash and case windows, horned upper sashes to rear of building. 2 and 4-pane timber sash and case windows to older attic pavilion, upper sashes with segmental arch heads. Later squared, bipartite, 3-pane flat-roofed timber dormer windows to centre of roof. Piended grey slate roof, platformed to parts of later attic level; fish scale detail to former pavilion roof on right hand of W elevation. Aluminium ridging, flashing and valleys. Stone tripartite wallhead dormer to right of W elevation; flat roofed timber dormers with shallow aluminium cheeks to heightened roof and to rear of property. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods, gutters concealed within eaves cornice. Coursed red sandstone, roofline stack aligned with former entrance door, plain yellow can. Smaller gablehead stack to S elevation, cans now missing; similar stack to rear of former N pavilion roof.

INTERIOR: ground floor modernised to form estate agents and public house; alterations circa 1920 to upper accommodation and roof; since modernised, not seen, 2001.

Statement of Interest

Part of the John Finnie Street A-Group. John Finnie Street is nearly ? mile long and was built around 1864. It provided a grand thoroughfare for the town with the focal point to the north being the railway station. Business and commerce spread to this street and rows of high quality, 3-storey or more, red sandstone building were constructed. The ground floors were given over to retail, offices and accommodation were above. The street dominated the lower, narrower streets in Kilmarnock that were filled with traditional buildings. The street's architect was William Railton, who went on to design the Kilmarnock Infirmary (now demolished) and the surveyor was Robert Blackwood. Not long after the street was built, Archibald Adamson noted the number of handsome buildings. This building was originally the Ossington Temperance Hotel, built in 1883 for ?3500. It was presented to the town by Lady Ossington, lady of the manor, as a temperance coffee house. It was entered by the grand door on John Finnie Street, now the entrance to The Gathering public house. Originally, there were large stone vases ornaments in the squared plinths still visible at roof level, these have since been removed. Above the central window of the John Finnie Street elevation of the estate agents is a balcony. This originally had a free-standing gold lettered sign proclaiming OSSINGTON with a stone balustrade to the window behind. Although the balcony remains, a wrought-iron railing now replaces the balustrade. The triangular pediment above the central 1st floor window has been removed to allow an extra window in the former pavilion roof, which was extended by Ingram and Brown in the 1920's. The building is prominent at the head of John Finnie Street and is one of the first buildings to be seen when alighting the train.

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing
Wikidata IDs Q77777526 Q77777530

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