Description

Loch Lomond And Trossachs National Park Planning Authority

This Lodge formerly served Dunselma, immediately to the N. Dunselma and associated buildings were built for James Coats Junior to the designs of architects Rennison and Scott in 1885-6. The Lodge is part of a complex of buildings that are the ultimate expression of the conspicuous wealth of late 19th century industrialists. The Lodge, as well as being an attractive building in its own right, making a significant contribution to the group of buildings along the Strone shore, provides an introduction to the architecture of the main house. The interior details echo those of the main house, with a fine timber staircase, and plasterwork containing Coats family crests and symbols.

The lodge consists of a double- gabled front elevation with a conical-roofed turret in the SW corner. The central entrance is round-arched, under a stone balcony on heavy consoles. There is a variety of window details, included a triangular bay with a stone roof, a canted bay with crenellated parapet and decorated pediments. A number of the details of the main house, such as the crowstepped gables and corbelled tower are repeated in the lodge. The stonework on the exterior is of extremely high quality, including animal carvings. The lodge was initially smaller, but parts of the rear and SW elevations have been raised to form a second storey and a small lean-to shed has been attached to the rear.

Interior: the interior is particularly rich for a lodge, with an oak staircase and panelling, as well as fine plaster work in a number of the rooms. Designs include the serpent from the Coats family crest. Parts of the interior have been modernised. For example, the fireplace on the NE reception room has been replaced.

Materials: harled with sandstone ashlar dressings. Grey slate roof with stone ridge. Ashlar stacks and clay cans. Cast iron rainwater goods. Timber sash and case windows with plate glass. Timber boarded outer door. Inner door glazed with etched glass.

Boundary Walls, Gates And Gatepiers: low harled boundary walls to the front with chamfered ashlar copes. Square-plan ashlar gatepiers with pyramidal capstones. Heavy cast iron gates.

Statement of Interest

James Coats Junior (1841-1912) was the grandson of Sir James Coats, the Paisley cotton millionaire. He was the president of the Royal Clyde Yacht Club and is known to have owned 16 yachts. Coats' main house was Ferguslie in Paisley (demolished).

The house later belonged to Walter Bergius (another keen sailor) of the Bergius Engine company, later the Kelvin company.

Little work by architects Rennison and Scott is known. It appears they worked mostly for the Coats family. J.A Rennison designed Carskiey House (1904-9) in a Scottish Vernacular idiom on the Mull of Kintyre for Kate Coats (Walker, 2000, 62). The only only other known house by the practice is Cartside House, Renfrew, of 1880.

The complex at Dunselma included the main house with lawns to the front incorporating a tennis court, the stables and staff accommodation on the High Road and the Lodge, Boathouse and a large palm house (since demolished) on the shore.

B-Group with Dunselma, Dunselma stables and The Boathouse.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17776239

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
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  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments