Description

Attributed to William Leiper (see Notes), circa 1876 with 20th century addition to NE. Single storey, 4-bay, roughly rectangular-plan, estate cottage with finialed crowstepped gables and bipartite windows. Squared, stugged orange sandstone with polished ashlar dressings. Base course to front elevation only; moulded eaves cornice; moulded skew putts. Roll-moulded window and door margins to front; chamfered window margins to rear; relieving arches above front windows.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: central timber-panelled front door with stone slab canopy supported on moulded brackets to SE (principal) elevation; 2 tiled steps to door.

Bipartite window to left of door; crow-stepped dormer-head with half-moon finial and monogram. Slightly advanced gable to right with paired window; spiky ball-finial to gablehead; monogram JW in square panel above window. Piend-roofed 20th century addition to outer right with bipartite window.

OTHER ELEVATIONS: slightly advanced gable with thistle finial and blind slit window to SW (road) elevation; stone bollard in re-entrant angle; truncated stack above. 2 gables flanking central bay to NW (rear) elevation; irregular fenestration with oval window to right gable; 20th century addition to outer left.

Plate glass in timber sash and case windows.

Statement of Interest

A very well-detailed cottage, formerly on the estate of Earnock House, believed to be by the well-known Glaswegian architect, William Leiper who built a large extension to Earnock House. Burnhouse occupies a prominent position on Neilsland Road, and, since it is now surrounded by mid 20th century local authority housing, it serves as an important reminder of the history of the area.

The Earnock estate was purchased by John Watson, owner of the Earnock Colliery, in about 1871. He made various improvements to the estate, including extending Earnock House and building a number of cottages and farm buildings. The extension to Earnock House was designed by William Leiper in 1876, and the other estate buildings (including this one) are in a very similar style, and almost certainly also by Leiper. The other estate buildings known to be in the same style included the stable block, Torheads Farm, a game-keepers cottage at Neilsland, Derrickbank Cottage (former estate laundry), and Earnock Cottage.

It is likely that there were other buildings as well. All these buildings, apart from Burnhouse and Earnock Cottage, have been demolished, which means that Burnhouse now has considerable importance as one of only two surviving examples of a fine group of estate buildings almost certainly by Leiper. Old photographs of Earnock House, its stable block, and Neilsland Cottage and Burnhouse are to be found in the book by John Watson, which is held at the Royal Commission library (NMRS).

John Watson was described in an article in the Glasgow News (and copied in his book) as 'perhaps the most extensive colliery owner and worker in Scotland and Earnock is only one of his collieries' The article also noted that Earnock was considered at the time as a model colliery as the principal seams were lit by electric light and carried telephone communication with the pit-head office.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77781522

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

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living