Troon Golf Club, 2 Craigend Road, Troon, Troon, South Ayrshire

Description

Henry Edward Clifford, 1885-86; dressing rooms added 1897; large addition 1905; curved porch John Rutherford Johnstone, 1926; single storey additions earlier21st century. Single storey with attic, gabled golf club forming near square-plan. Squared and snecked tooled cream sandstone to entrance elevation; stugged and polished sandstone dressings; coursed ashlar to W and S elevations; painted harl to later additions; painted margins. Tooled quoins to entrance elevation; long and short surrounds to openings; corniced parapet to columnar porch. Chamfered sandstone mullions and transoms throughout; chamfered cills; moulded round-arched hoodmoulds. Decorative cast-iron balcony to W; glazed veranda to S.

N (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: long range with gabled bays projecting at centre and outer right linked by shallow-curved colonnade forming large open porch. Steps to part-glazed timber turnstile door set within; single and bipartite windows in flanking bays; box-dormer above off-set to right of centre. Circular panel dated 1886 centred in gabled bay to outer right; round-arched upper, bipartite window set in skewed gable at centre (block stops to hoodmould). Bipartite and single windows in wing recessed to outer left. Pitched, modern wing adjoined beyond.

W (SIDE) ELEVATION: near-symmetrical 5-bay gabled range at centre with 4-light canted window centred at ground; 3 small round arched upper windows in recessed semi-circular panel above; clock beneath apex. Single and tripartite windows at ground in bays to right and left respectively; sculpted panel in architraved, semi circular recess in dormerhead to right; round-arched window in dormerhead to left. 4-light canted windows at ground in bays to outer left and right; 3 small round-arched upper windows in recessed semi circular panels above; finialed gables. Anthemion frieze to cast iron balcony spanning bays with heavy console supports off-set to right of centre; segmental-arched columnar arcade off-set to left (polished granite shafts, waterleaf capitals). Tripartite window at ground in single storey wing to outer left; bipartite window at ground in canted wing to outer right.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: asymmetrical elevation with lean-to veranda on timber supports linking broad canted windows in bay to outer left and bay off-set to right of centre; central gable. Irregularly fenestrated at ground with porch off-set to right of centre; round arched upper bipartite window centred in gablehead; corbelled cill; clock-face breaking hoodmould; block stops. Bipartite window at ground in penultimate bay to outer right; broad canted window in bay to outer right.

E (SIDE) ELEVATION: entrance off-set to left of centre; 3 single windows in gabled bay advanced to outer left; single windows in remaining bays to right; 2-bay, lean-to projection to outer right.

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case glazing; modern glazing to later additions; some rooflights. Grey slate roof; red ridge tiling; cast-iron rainwater goods. Coped ridge, apex and wallhead stacks; circular cans.

INTERIOR: domed vestibule light; boarded timber dado panelling; timber panelled reception desk. Impressive dining room with half timbered, hammerbeam ceiling.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATEPIERS: polished coping to rubble sandstone wall to Crosbie Road; harled circular-plan piers flanking entrance (formerly to Craigend House); sandstone flame finials; gates missing. Coped rubble wall to corner with Craigend Road; harled circular-plan piers flanking former entrance to Craigend House; sandstone flame finials; timber gate.

Statement of Interest

This is a well-detailed and prominent purpose-built golf clubhouse, situated on the sea front in Troon which retains some good internal features. The bold use of architectural details, including the prominent consoled cast-iron balcony, round-arched attic lights, waterleaf capitals, broad canted bays and shallow curved colonnaded porch add to its architectural interest. The clubhouse has been extended over the years. This is not unusual for golf clubhouses. These later additions have resulted in a building almost double its original size. The unusual gatepiers were originally associated with Craigend House, also designed by Henry Edward Clifford. This was demolished in the late 1980s and the site on which it stood has since been encompassed within the boundaries of the golf club.

Founded in 1878, the golf club was built on land feued from the Duke of Portland. In 1886, at a cost of £2,435, the original clubhouse (a timber hut) was replaced with this design by Henry Edward Clifford.

From the beginning the course was used by both local players and those from Glasgow and Paisley. The course is a regular venue of the Open Championship.

Scotland is intrinsically linked with the sport of golf and was the birthplace of the modern game played over 18 holes.

The 'Articles and Laws in Playing Golf', a set of rules whose principles still underpin the game's current regulations, were penned in 1744 by the Company of Gentlemen Golfers (now The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers). Improved transport links and increased leisure time as well as a rise in the middle classes from the mid 19th century onwards increased the popularity of the sport with another peak taking place in the early 1900s.

The sociable aspect of the game encouraged the building of distinctive clubhouses with bar and restaurant facilities. Purpose-built clubhouses date from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, previously clubs had used villas or rooms in an inn near to the course. Earlier clubhouses were typically enlarged in stages as the popularity of the game increased throughout the 19th and 20th century.

There are around 550 golf courses in Scotland, representing a total membership of approximately 236,000 golf club members. Scotland has produced a number of famous golf sporting personalities - historically, Old Tom Morris (1821-1908) and James Braid (1870-1950) were the pioneers of their time.

Henry Edward Clifford (1852-1932) was a Glasgow architect, who trained under John Burnet Senior. His output was extensive, and included a number of public buildings and private commissions. His work mainly focussed around the Glasgow and Campbeltown areas. He had an interest in golf, and designed a numbr of golf clubhouses.

List description updated as part of the sporting buildings thematic study (2012-13).

External Links

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