Description

William Leiper, 1888. Asymmetrical, 2-storey, English Domestic style L-plan house with single storey and attic, M-gabled wing to SE. Predominantly squared and snecked, lightly bull-faced granite; red sandstone dressings; red tile hanging in part to principal block; half-timbering with harl to SE wing. Base course; moulded sandstone string course to principal block; overhanging timber bracketed eaves throughout. Sandstone quoins and long and short surrounds to chamfered openings; predominantly sandstone mullions; chamfered cills. Includes former artist's studio.

NE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: projecting, gabled porch off-set to left of centre with round-arched central opening; trefoil-headed side-lights; quatrefoil uppers; scalloped bargeboards; tiled vestibule; shouldered-arched entrance centred within; 2-leaf boarded timber door with decorative hinges. 2-storey gable end to right with 4-light canted windows centred at both floors beneath overhanging gablehead; wallhead stack to right. Plain elevation to lower wing recessed to outer right. Single storey wing to outer left with large, gabled window breaking eaves at centre.

NW ELEVATION: 2-storey gable end to left with 4 light canted windows centred at both floors beneath stepped, overhanging gablehead (projecting, timber-bracketed tile-hanging at 1st floor). Pointed-arched bipartite window centred at ground. Piend-roofed single window breaking eaves off-set to right; wallhead stack adjoined to outer right.

SW (REAR) ELEVATION: 3-bay principal block with window at ground off-set to right of centre; timber-mullioned bipartite window above. 4-light canted windows at both floors beneath overhanging gablehead to outer left. Window at ground to outer right; timber-mullioned bipartite window beneath uneven, gabled dormerhead breaking eaves above. Single storey, 2-bay wing projecting to right with timber-mullioned bipartite window to left; window to right.

SE ELEVATION: 5-bay gabled wing projecting to left with bipartite window at ground off-set to left of centre; boarded timber doors flanking at ground; windows at ground to outer left and right; timber-mullioned bipartite window centred in gablehead; catslide dormer to right. Window centred in gabled wing projecting to right; window in lean-to addition to left; gabled porch recessed to outer right. Principal block recessed at centre with large bipartite window to left; wallhead stack to right.

Predominantly timber windows with plate glass lowers, decorative leaded uppers; decorative leaded windows to entrance front; plate glass timber sash and case and casement windows (some with 4- and 6-pane uppers) to SE, SW and NW. Grey slate roof; red tile ridging; timber bargeboards (bolted in part). Granite wallhead and gablehead stacks with red sandstone dressings; circular terracotta cans. Decorative iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: timber arcaded staircase with pointed arches and turned balustres; corner stone fireplace and small leaded and stained glass round arched window to hall. Sideboard recess with timber architrave and decorative arch to dinning room. Timber fireplaces elsewhere. Access to interior not possible at time of survey (1999).

GATEPIERS and GATE: ball-finialled, square-plan gatepiers flanking pedestrian entrance; timber gate. Rectangular-plan gatepiers flanking vehicular entrance to SE; near-pyramidal, rendered caps; modern gate.

Statement of Interest

William Leiper RSA (1839-1916) is recognised as one of Scotland's leading Art and Crafts architects and designers. "Leiper began practising in Glasgow in 1865 and early success in a competition for the design of Dowanhill Church made him a challenger to John Honeyman as the city's leading Gothic architect. For twenty years he was in the vanguard of the Anglo-Japanese manner, working closely in conjunction with Daniel Cottier. He designed many churches but his special strength lay in domestic architecture. His interiors were stamped with such a distinctive personal impress that they are referred to as 'Leiperian'. He is also responsible for designing one of Scotland's most extraordinary Victorian buildings, the Italian Gothic extravaganza incorporating polychromatic brickwork, for the Templeton Carpet Factory. In the 1880s, Leiper moved away from a Gothic style toward the Free School approach of Richard Norman Shaw, designing many houses in the Helensburgh area" (McEwan). Ganavan House is probably the only example of Leiper's domestic work in north-west Argyllshire, demonstrating one of the architect's finest examples in the English domestic style, closely linked to houses he designed at Aros, Rhu, 1880 and Albion Lodge, Helensburgh, 1883 (see separate listings). Built for Mrs MacArthur, wife of the proprietor of the Alexandra Hotel, Oban. Ganavan House was described by his assistant McNab as being "?built of local grey granite, timber oriels, half-timbered gables, of simple domestic character" (RIBA Journal). Ganavan House remains largely unaltered (unlike Albion Lodge); features of particular note include the tile-hanging, half-timbering and leaded windows and the unusual added feature of a purpose-built artist?s studio (unique to this house-plan). The fine timber detailed 'Leiperian' interiors of the house have been recently reinstated to their original condition by the current owners, including an arcaded timber screen to the hall and stairs (2002).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17771097

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

• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)