Rosemount, Low Askomil, Campbeltown, Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute

Description

Early 19th century. 2-storey over raised basement, 3-bay near-symmetrical house of rectangular plan with flanking 2-bay single storey pavilions, and former coach-house to W. Harled walls with painted ashlar dressings. Band course at principal floor, string course and cornice at 1st floor, lintel course and cornice with blocking course above at eaves. Architraved windows to principal front, margined elsewhere, all with projecting cills.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical, ashlar stair oversailing basement with decorative cast-iron handrails accessing entrance door with tall Tuscan columned entrance doorpiece with entablature and blocking course above.

W ELEVATION: window at principal floor to left of centre and at outer left and right at 1st floor.

E ELEVATION: 3 bays, with principal floor centre window off-set to right, and blind windows at ground and 1st floors in bay to right.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: addition at ground floor, tall stair window centring 1st floor with gabled and piend-roofed projections flanking at right and left respectively.

E WING (GARDENER?S COTTAGE): 2-bay single storey symmetrical with eaves course. Wide-boarded timber door centring W elevation.

CONSERVATORY: ornate cast-iron 9 x 5-bay conservatory adjoining E of gardener?s cottage. Cement rendered and lined base with stone saddleback cope, and quoins at corners; cast-iron upper comprising top-hung 4-pane lights with decorative profiled gutter at eaves above, barrel-vaulted roof, clerestorey at apex with trefoil patterned cresting at gables and ridge, terminated by cross finials; 4-panel timber entrance door centring E elevation.

W WING : 2-storey, with lean-to at W side of rear elevation giving L-plan . 2-bay symmetrical S elevation, lowered cill at ground floor bay to right, cill course and cornice at 1st floor, wallhead raised over bays, square dies with ball finials breaking eaves at corners.

Timber sash and case windows, plate glass to principal front and sides, 12 and 4-pane to rear elevation. 12-pane timber sash and case windows to E wing, modern glazing to W wing. 6-panel timber entrance door, panelled inner door with etched glass upper, flanking panelled sides with etched glass uppers and cornice over. Vertically-boarded timber hatch at basement opening to left of entrance. Grey slate roofs, piended to main house and wings. Piend-roofed canted slate-hung timber dormer at left of main rear pitch; 4-pane timber sash and case window with plate glass sidelights. Small metal-clad dormer to right with 4-pane timber window.

INTERIOR: many original internal fittings surviving including Tuscan columns in entrance hall, stone staircase with cast-iron balusters and timber handrail, panelled shutters and doors, decorative plaster cornices and ceiling roses.

COACH HOUSE: plain, roughcast with slated roof. Gabled, stepped skew at S surmounted by urn at apex and window in gablehead with hoodmould over.

RETAINING AND BOUNDARY WALLS: ashlar coped retaining wall to rear of house, segmental-arched door to cellar at centre to Low Askomil. Stugged ashlar gatepiers surmounted by square droved copes and urns flanking entrance front. Stugged ashlar gatepiers to Low Askomil, corniced with pyramidal caps and cast-iron gates.

Statement of Interest

The title deeds relating to Rosemount date back to 1810, when a feu contract was entered into between Sir Alexander Macdonald Lockhart of Lee and Carnwarth, Baronet, and John Fullarton of Kilmichael on Arran, in consideration of the sum of ?150. That July one Alexander Langlands, land surveyor in Campbeltown, had measured the area of land involved as being "one acre and one rood of English measure". By 1825-6, ownership of the house had passed to a Captain Hugh Stevenson and his wife. Stevenson was apparently from the well-known Oban distilling family, but his wife (born Agnes Pollock) was from Campbeltown. In September 1847, when the property came up for sale by public roup at the Argyll Arms Inn, the Edinburgh Evening Courant described it as "The villa of Rosemount with the Grounds attached, extending to one Scotch Acre, situated about a mile from Campbeltown, on the Northern side of the Loch. It commands a splendid View of the Town, Harbour, and adjoining Country. The house which is most substantially built contains on the First Floor, Dining Room, 2 Bed Rooms, Kitchen, Store Room, Butler?s Pantry etc.; and on the Second Floor, Drawing Room, 3 Bed Rooms, and Bed Closet. There is ample Cellarage in the Ground Flat and a suite of Offices attached consisting of Gig House, Stable, Byre, Wash House, Laundry, etc. The Gardens and Shrubbery are laid out with great taste and the Garden is well stocked with Fruit Trees. The house and Grounds cost the present proprietor above ?1900, but to ensure a Sale, they will be exposed at the low Upset Price of ?900." Despite this offer, the house was back on the market twice in the early 1850?s, with its upset price successively reduced first in Edinburgh and then in Glasgow, where it was bought by Mr Edward Longlands (possibly Langlands) in 1853. Rosemount was probably built by John Mackersie, who started work as a builder in Campbeltown in 1809, and built Bellgrove amongst other houses at this time. The original Palladian arrangement of this house would have made it one of Campbeltown?s most elegant early 19th century houses, although this has been somewhat marred by later 19th century and modern alterations to the W wing. It still remains a fine example of its period with many original details surviving intact.

External Links

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