Description

John Mercer, 1883. 4-storey and attic, 9-bay (grouped 4-5), Renaissance block with modern shopfront at ground. Polished red ashlar. 4-bay group: banded rustication; dentilled cornice to shopfront; cill courses to upper floors. 5-bay group: cornice to shopfront (lower than 4-bay group); cill course to 3rd floor; balustraded parapet. Continuous mutuled cornice to both groups. Architraved windows.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION, 4-BAY GROUP: modern shopfront at ground to 4-bay group; closely spaced regular fenestration to upper floors; lugged windows with cornices at 1st floor; panelled aprons to 2nd and 3rd floors; decorative bracketed iron balcony to centre pair of windows at 3rd floor.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION, 5-BAY GROUP: 3-pairs of glazed modern 2-leaf doors at centre; flanking shop windows; consoled and pedimented windows at 1st floor to 3 central bays; small brackets to cills at 2nd floor windows; advanced rectangular panels to 2nd floor windows. Banded rustication to pilasters flanking outer bays; consoled cornices to 1st floor windows; arched recesses to 2nd floor Venetian windows with sculpted spandrels and bowed balustraded balconies; tripartite windows at 3rd floor; scrolled pedimented dormers aligned above at attic; flanking stacks.

Predominantly plate glass timber sash and case windows (4-pane to 1st and 2nd floors of 4-bays to left). Grey slate roof; French pavilion roof to 2 dormers; 4 square-plan banded stacks with segmental heads rising from pilasters to 5-bay group; broad corniced stacks to outer left and right and centre;

INTERIOR: not seen 1998.

Statement of Interest

Shop front at ground incorporates section of shop to right (Nos 102 and 104). A prominent Renaissance block with good detailing to spandrels and chimney heads to section to 5-bay group. During 1982, a small exploratory excavation was undertaken to the rear of this building whilst the site was being cleared for the current occupiers, British Home Stores. DIGGING UP AULD AYR reports the findings, which includes the possible presence of an early church ante-dating the creation of Ayr burgh in 1205, and a number of 15th and 16th century burial sites associated with the Franciscan friary which was established nearby in 1474.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17836005

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

• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)