Gamekeeper's Cottage, Kelburn Castle Estate, Fairlie, Largs, North Ayrshire

Description

Dated 1870. Single storey and attic, gabled gamekeeper's or ghillie's house in the gothic style with, pointed-arch windows, timber barge-boarding and tall shouldered wallhead stacks, located to the northern end of the Kelburn Castle estate. Bracketed, over-hanging eaves. The building is of squared and snecked sandstone rubble with ashlar margins. The doorway has a basket-arch moulded surround with a timber porch supported on stone corbels. The north gable has a carved quatrefoil plaque, dated 1870 with monogram. Grey slate roof with clay cans. There are timber-framed, 4-pane glazed windows.

The interior was not seen in 2016.

Statement of Interest

The Gamekeeper's Cottage at Kelburn Estate is a largely intact and well-detailed example of later 19th century estate architecture. It is distinguished by its gothic architectural details with bracketed overhanging eaves, tapering wall-head stacks, pointed-arch windows, timber porch overhang, and carved date panel to the west elevation. The building was constructed as part of the ongoing developments at the Kelburn estate, and is one of a pair of near identical estate workers houses the other being the Gardner's Cottage (at NGR NS 21538 56994). The building's interest is also enhanced by the neighbouring kennels (see separate listing) to which it is functionally related as its management was part of the gamekeeper's responsibilities.

Age and Rarity

This estate gamekeeper's or 'ghillie's' house was added to the Kelburn Castle estate in 1870, as an early part of the extensive improvements made by the 6th Earl of Glasgow on his inheritance in 1869. The north gable has a carved quatrefoil plaque, dated 1870 and with the letter G denoting George Boyle (1825-1890) the 6th Earl of Glasgow. Located on the long northern drive approach to Kelburn Castle, the L-plan footprint of this building is shown in its present location, with a small L-plan projection to the rear (north) elevation, on the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map, surveyed in 1908.

Landowners with means to do so were keen to improve their estates in the second half of the 19th century in response to the greater diversification of land use either for industry or leisure. Many estate buildings with a specialised use were built during this period and were often given an architectural treatment that was repeated across the estate. The Garden Cottage, Gamekeeper's Cottage and Kennels at Kelburn Estate are typical of this type of en suite estate architecture of the period.

Kelburn is among the oldest ancestral country seats in Scotland to have been continuously inhabited by successive generations of one family, having been in possession of the Boyle family (formerly 'de Boyville') since the 12th century. Kelburn has a prominent coastal setting to the south of the town of Largs, with views from the castle across the Firth of Clyde to the Isles of Cumbrae and Bute and southwest to the Isle of Arran. The Kel Burn runs through the estate, passing through a wooded ravine and over a 15 metre high waterfall to the southwest of the castle.

In 1869 George Boyle, who held the office of Lord Clerk Register of Scotland, inherited Kelburn along with a number of other estates in Scotland and succeeded to the title of 6th Earl of Glasgow. He was responsible for a significant phase of development and improvement across the Kelburn estate including the building of the new gardener's cottage, the gamekeeper's cottage and kennels in 1870 and numerous later work including a large addition to the castle itself.

Architectural or Historic Interest

Interior

The interior was not seen (2016).

Plan form

The broadly L-plan footprint is a typical arrangement for estate worker's housing of the mid to late 19th century.

Technological excellence or innovation, material or design quality

The Gamekeeper's Cottage is distinguished by its gothic details with bracketed overhanging eaves, tapering wall-head stacks, pointed-arch windows, timber porch overhang and carved date panel to the west elevation.

Setting

The Gamekeeper's Cottage is situated on a levelled area on steeply rising ground to the north of Kelburn Castle, overlooking the Firth of Clyde and the Isles of Great Cumbrae and Bute to the west. It is located near to the 1860 Kennel range (see separate listing) as its management was part of the gamekeeper's responsibilities. The cottage is part of a wider group of associated contemporary estate buildings which reflect 19th century development elsewhere on the Kelburn estate.

Regional variations

There are no known regional variations.

Close Historical Associations

None known at present. Kelburn is among the oldest country seats in Scotland to have been continuously inhabited by successive generations of one family, the Boyles.

External Links

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.