Irvine Development Corporation, Perceton House, Irvine, Dreghorn, North Ayrshire

Entry Name: Irvine Development Corporation, Perceton House, Irvine

Listing Name: Irvine, Perceton, Perceton House

Listing Date: 14 April 1971

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 331271

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB833

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200331271

Location: Dreghorn

County: North Ayrshire

Electoral Ward: Irvine East

Parish: Dreghorn

Traditional County: Ayrshire

Tagged with: Office building Country house

Description

Circa 1770. 2-storey, attic and raised basement, 4-bay, symmetrical, classical, country house with flanking, single bay wings and advanced single storey pavilions (converted to offices in 1968 and still in use as such, 2012). White painted harl, with contrasting painted margins. Raised margins and quoins. Base course, cornice. 3, piended tripartite dormers. 1968, multi-bay, extension to NW (See Notes).

PRINCIPAL (NE) ELEVATION: central flight of stairs with curved rails oversailing basement leading to pedimented Doric-columned porch with entablature; 2-leaf, part-glazed entrance door. Advanced, single-bay, piended-roof pavilions to outer bays. Linking corridors at ground and 1st storey to far right leading to 1968 3-storey, multi-bay, office addition, extending to rear.

SW (GARDEN) ELEVATION: symmetrical. Central balustraded canted bay. Single tripartite window to 1st storey at left. 3 piended attic dormers.

Predominantly 6- over 6-pane, timber sash and case windows. Piended roofs; grey slates. Tall, coped roof stacks; wallhead stack to SW wing.

INTERIOR: (seen 2012). Converted into office accommodation, 1968, with some later 20th century modifications. Original room layout largely intact. Some decorative cornicing and timber panelling. Single decorative carved fire surround. Some vaulted rooms to basement. Pair of round-arched niches to entrance hall.

Statement of Interest

This is a good example of a small, symmetrical 18th century classical country house which is little altered to its exterior. The house was converted into offices for the Irvine Development Corporation in 1968 and has been adapted for use as an office building. Much of the original room layout remains although there are not many original features of note. The house has retained its simple, classical detailing in the pedimented porch and the canted bay to the garden elevation and still sits within its immediate woodlands setting and gardens to the NE, SW and SE. There has been some housing development to the wider policies of the house.

A large, 3-storey 1968 extension was added to the property when it became the headquarters of the Irvine Development Corporation and this lies perpendicular to the house at the NW corner. The addition has been designed not to compromise the view of the principal elevation of the house and the house retains a sense of its original isolation.

Perceton House dates from around 1770 and was built by William Macredie, whose family had acquired the land and previous house in 1720. The original Perceton House was demolished in 1770 when this one was built. The house remained in the family until 1929, when it was bought by the Mitchell family. They then sold it to the Irvine Development Corporation in 1968.

As the Corporation required more office accommodation they built a large, extension to the house in an open-plan office style. It was designed so it could be converted into a hotel when no longer required.

Category changed from A to B and list description updated, 2013. The 1968 extension to Perceton House was not considered to be of special interest at the point of the 2013 listing review.

External Links

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