53-59 Titchfield Street, Kilmarnock, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

Description

Gabriel Andrew of Andrew & Newlands, 1902. 3-storey, 2-3-2-bay, palace-fronted, Glasgow Style retail and tenement building with additional 3-storey, 2-bay addition to left. Polished red Ballochmyle stone with matching dressings, bull-faced ashlar to original outer bays. Central gable with flanking gablet heads; projecting bay windows with shaped parapets. Sill course merging into band course.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: to right, Nos. 47 -51: 2 later retail units to ground floor flanking timber pilastered door surround; to 1st and 2nd floor left: squared full height surround with slightly recessed 3-sided canted bay window, corniced parapet breaking eaves; blind central section with keystoned roundel detail to 2nd floor; to 1st and 2nd floor right: squared full-height surround with slightly recessed 3-sided canted bay window with arch detail lintel course to 1st floor, piended roofed parapet breaking eaves. To centre right, Nos. 53-59: to ground floor right, shop with door and window to right, to centre and left shop with central door, window to flanks, further pilastered door to right; to 1st and 2nd floor left and right: squared full-height surround with slightly recessed 3-light arched bay window, arch detail lintel course to 1st floor, corniced parapet concealing eaves, triangular pedimented gablet surmounting; to centre, bipartite window to 1st & 2nd floors, triangular hood mould to 2nd floor, stepped triangular pedimented gable surmounting with engaged colonnettes and round window to centre. To centre left, Nos. 61 to 65: 2 later retail units to ground floor flanking timber pilastered door surround; to 1st and 2nd floor left: squared full-height surround with slightly recessed 3-sided canted bay window with arch detail lintel course to 1st floor, piended roofed parapet breaking eaves; blind central section with keystoned roundel detail to 2nd floor; to 1st and 2nd floor right: squared full-height surround with slightly recessed 3-sided canted bay window, corniced parapet breaking eaves. To left, Nos.67 - 71: 2 later retail units to ground floor flanking timber pilastered door surround; to 1st and 2nd floor left: squared full height surround with slightly recessed 3-sided canted bay window, corniced parapet breaking eaves; blind central section with keystoned roundel detail to 2nd floor; to 1st and 2nd floor right: squared full-height surround with slightly recessed 3-sided canted bay window with arch detail lintel course to 1st floor, piended roofed parapet breaking eaves.

S ELEVATION: blind, red brick gable end.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: fairly regularly fenestrated rears with projecting stair towers. To left, No 47-51: M-plan with window to each floor on ends of outer arms and recesses, windows to right return and angle of semi-octagonal middle arm. To centre left, Nos. 53 - 59: almost L-plan; semi-octagonal arm to left, window to left angle with bipartite to end, to right return of 1st & 2nd floors, raised entrance doors with metal balconies; regularly fenestrated to right. To centre right, Nos. 61 - 65: M-plan with window to each floor on ends of outer arms and recesses, windows to right return and angle of semi-octagonal middle arm, extension to ground floor left shared with adjoining building. To right, Nos. 67 -71: M-plan with window to each floor on ends of outer arms and recesses, windows to right return and angle of semi-octagonal middle arm, red brick extension concealing ground floor, brick w.c. in-fill to 1st floor left containing window.

N ELEVATION: adjoining later No. 43 (former headquarters of 4th Battalion of Royal Scots Fusiliers).

Timber sash and case windows painted red; upper sashes divided vertically into 3-pane side bays, 5-pane front windows, 4-pane windows to central gable; all with single pane lower sash. Replacement single pane windows to 1st floor bays 7 & 8, replacement PVCu glazing to 1st and 2nd floors of Nos. 67 -71. Round single pane timber window to central gablehead. Later piended grey slate roof, original to Nos. 67-71, roof partially oversailing eaves; catslide roofs to some rear stairs and outer bays. Mixture of metal, slate and stone ridging to each building, metal flashings. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods to principal elevation, concealed guttering behind decorative parapets; some replacement plastic rainwater goods to rear. Velux roof lights to rear roof of building in 2-1-2-1 formation. 4 yellow brick gablehead stacks: stone neck copes to stacks flanking central building (Nos. 53 - 59), approximately 10 -12 terracotta cans; lowered stacks with cans removed to original outer gables; short red brick stack to gable end of Nos. 67 - 71.

INTERIOR: not seen, 2001.

Statement of Interest

Titchfield Street was undergoing change in the opening stages of the 20th century. A grand, new, purpose built theatre was built the year after these tenements, all replacing earlier 2-storey accommodation. The grand scale of these tenements mirrored improvements occurring in other parts. Bank Street was borrowing monumental ideas from the later 19th century John Finnie Street and Titchfield Street followed. This row of tenements was designed by Andrew & Newlands. Although undated, the plans are signed 84 Portland Street. The practice was only here a short period (1901 - 1904) and the plan directly after this one in the Dean of Guilds is a stylistically similar office building in Bank Street, dated 1902. The buildings were designed for a J Lawson on land that at the beginning of the century had smaller 2-storey houses on it with shops to ground floor. These new tenements provided housing above ground floor shops. The original stone cornice above the name plaques still survives in full. The main design is primarily 3 blocks of tenements laid out in a palace-fronted style. To the right, an additional 2-bay block has been built as a continuation of the design, suggesting more were planned been built and removed to allow access to the new leisure centre's car park. Titchfield Street was a busy and important road in the early 20th century, it was home to a tramline that ran to Riccarton. Tram rosettes can still be seen on these tenements. Listed as good examples of housing by a local architect.

External Links

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