Marine Hotel, 17-19 Crosbie Road, Troon, Troon, South Ayrshire

Description

Salmon, Son and Gillespie, 1897; large addition 1901 forming L-plan; additions later 20th century. Symmetrical 2-storey and double-attic, 9-bay Free Style entrance front; E-plan with gables advanced at centre, outer left and right. Asymmetrical 4-storey and attic, 8-bay rectangular-plan addition to SE with 5-storey tower and engaged octagonal turret to outer right. Squared and snecked stugged red sandstone (heavy pointing to entrance elevation); polished sandstone dressings. Moulded eaves course; polished skews. Polished quoins; polished long and short surrounds to openings (predominantly architraved); sandstone mullions and transoms; polished cills.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: steps to replacement door centred at ground in advanced, gabled bay; round-arched surround with ship relief in keystone; 4-light canted oriel aligned at 1st floor with balustraded parapet forming 2nd floor balcony to round-arched opening centred in gablehead. Round-arched windows at ground in 3 bays recessed to left and right; square-headed windows aligned at 1st floor; dormerheads with alternate triangular and round-arched finialed pediments above; cat-slide dormers set behind. Advanced, gabled bays to outer left and right comprising simplified Venetian windows at ground (fluted pilasters); pedimented bipartite windows at 1st floor; single windows above; small attic lights centred beneath apex; crown-shaped skewputt detailing. Gabled bays linked at 1st floor by replacement balcony (heavy fluted columns). 4-storey and attic addition recessed to outer right with single storey canted sandstone infill in re-entrant angle; later glazed addition in re-entrant angle to front. Single storey addition to outer left (including swimming pool).

S (SIDE) ELEVATION: original gabled block to outer left comprising single storey canted projection at ground; glazed addition to outer left; regularly fenestrated at 1st and 2nd floors (2nd floor balcony missing); small attic lights; box dormers. 1901 addition to right with central 4 bays comprising 4-light glazing rows at ground; roll-moulded, segmental-arched single windows above (keystoned, round-arched panels linking both floors); architraved surrounds to corniced, bipartite windows at 2nd floor (sandstone mullions and transoms); small tripartite windows at 3rd floor; box-dormers aligned above. Full-height gabled bay advanced to left with single basement opening; single windows at 1st floor; 3-light canted windows at 2nd and 3rd floors; pierced parapet; corniced, single window centred beneath apex; bird-shaped finials surmounting gablehead and skewputts. Blind opening at ground in single bay to outer left; full height tower recessed behind with single windows to upper floors (ogee-arched pediment at 2nd floor); blind opening centred in corbelled upper floor; pyramidal cap. 5-storey, square-plan tower off set to right of centre; round-arched window at 2nd floor with substantial corbelled balcony to front; square-headed windows to remaining openings; pierced parapet (dated 1901 on right return). 4 storey engaged polygonal turret off-set to right of centre with single windows in all facets at 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors. Single windows at all floors in bay recessed to outer right; surmounting truncated pyramidal roof. Later single storey addition to outer right.

6-, 8- and 12-pane upper, plate glass lower timber sash and case windows; some replacement glazing; modern glazing to later additions. Grey slate roof; raised stone skews; cast-iron rainwater goods. Coped red sandstone ridge, wallhead and apex stacks; circular terracotta cans.

INTERIOR: predominantly replacement fittings. Part-glazed timber turnstile door to vestibule. Extensive timber panelling; dentilled cornice work; plain ceilings. Lift inserted in main stair-well.

TERRACE WALL, PIERS AND GATE: low red rubble sandstone wall enclosing front terrace; ball-shaped finials surmounting rubble piers; cast-iron pedestrian entry gate to golf course. Red sandstone coping to painted brick wall enclosing site to Crosbie Road; coped, circular-plan piers flanking entrance; conical caps.

Statement of Interest

A good example of the work of James Salmon (1873-1924) and his partner, John Gaff Gillespie (1870-1926), both significant Glasgow Free Style architects whose fame is often obscured by that of their contemporaries - Burnet and Mackintosh amongst the most dominant. Thought to be mostly the work of Gillespie, the hotel was designed in the same year as the firm?s impressive Mercantile Chambers, Glasgow. One of the architect?s drawings of the hotel (see Service p239) shows a tower in the S re-entrant angle with a clock face at its upper level surmounted by an open columnar cupola. Only the lower levels of this were executed - the clock-face being replaced by a blind opening and the cupola substituted by a pyramidal cap. Despite the loss of some original detailing, the Marine Highland Hotel remains a significant landmark within Troon and an important example of the work of Salmon, Son and Gillespie (later succeeded by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia).

External Links

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