The McCosh Hall, boundary wall and railings, 17/19 Patna Road, Kirkmichael, Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton, South Ayrshire

Description

A two-storey former Working Men's Club by John Stewart Baxter opened in 1899. The design is a mix of classical and gothic styles and is characterised by its red sandstone and prominent corner clock tower. It is largely rectangular on plan, with some small additions to the rear. It is constructed of hammer dressed ashlar in red Ballochmyle freestone, with long and short ashlar margins, a band course and a moulded eaves course. There is a square-plan clock tower extending above the roofline to the southeast corner with pointed openings and gothic-style detailing. Currently in use (2024) as a village hall with a community shop, café and a bowling club, the building is located on the principal thoroughfare in the small village of Kirkmichael. It fronts the street with matching boundary walls, cast-iron railings and gates, and there is a large bowling green to the rear.

The principal (south) elevation is five bays wide with tripartite windows flanking the central entrance (with a later entrance ramp) and projecting outer bays that break the eaves. The outer left bay has a block parapet, with a panel inscribed 'MCCOSH CLUB / OPENED 15TH DEC / 1899'. The outer right bay extends upwards as a gothic-detailed clock-bell tower – the first stage has pointed windows and moulded cornicing, the second stage has a block parapet intersected by an offset bell tower with pointed louvered openings, and the upper stage is parapeted with a round clock face to each side. The side elevations are generally three-bays. The rear (north) elevation has two irregular openings, with a brick stair and lean-to adjoining to the right and an early 21st century addition to the left.

The roof is pitched and slated with ashlar skews and ashlar chimneystacks to each end and one wall-head chimney at the rear. There are cast iron rainwater goods throughout. The window openings are largely square-headed on the ground floor and round-headed to the first floor. The windows are largely double-glazed timber sash and case replacements, with the traditional glazing patterns replicated.

The interior was seen in 2022. It comprises a number of meeting rooms accessed via a central entrance hall with a stair to the rear that leads to a large hall on the first floor. On the ground floor, there is a former caretaker's accommodation to left of smaller hall, now a shop and café. The rooms to the far left are occupied by the local bowling club (not seen in 2022) and are accessed by a separate door to the west elevation. There is a secondary stair to clock tower, with access to final stage via wooden ladder.

The interior retains some decorative features dating from its late-19th century construction date, such as timber dado panelling, moulded cornicing and timber doors and doorpieces in the principal ground floor rooms. Some large fireplaces remain but are covered over. The entrance hallway stone staircase has decorative cast iron balusters and a timber handrail. The main hall has a vaulted ceiling with simple moulded cornicing.

There is low red sandstone boundary wall with decorative cast iron railings (fronting the main elevation on Patna Road) with later gates.

Historical development

The McCosh Hall, formerly known as Kirkmichael Working Men's Club and the McCosh Club, was built in 1898 by Ayrshire architect/builder John Stewart Baxter and is his only recorded building.

The building first appears on the Ordnance Survey map (revised 1908, published 1909), as a roughly rectangular plan building, and the footprint has undergone little alteration since. Historic postcards as well as a news article (Ayr Advertiser [1899], in Close, R. 2021) confirm that the clock tower was originally surmounted by a flagstaff, but this has since been removed. The bell was produced by John C. Wilson Brass and Bell Founders at Gorbals Foundry and was purchased by John Templeton of Maybole in 1898 (Whiting Society of Ringers, 2011). The bell has since been electrified.

The accommodation originally consisted of a recreation room, kitchen, parlour and bowl house to the ground floor, and a large hall on the first floor with two ante rooms (Close, R. 2021). The building was extended to the rear, probably shortly after it was constructed, to accommodate a principal staircase. This small addition is of brick construction.

McCosh Hall was gifted to the people of Kirkmichael by Dr John McCosh, a local surgeon and photographer who served in India under the East India Company. Dr McCosh retired in 1856 and returned to Britain. When he died in London in 1885, he left a sum of money to be used for three purposes: to provide bursaries for medical students at Edinburgh University; to provide bursaries for pupils at Ayr Academy; and to build a village hall and working men's club in Kirkmichael. A newspaper article (Ayrshire Post, 1 November 1889) noted Dr McCosh would gift a portion of his estate "…to the Kirkmichael Working Men's Club, to build a new clubhouse with a tower, and a striking clock for the benefit of the village."

The foundation stone was laid by Frederick Shaw-Kennedy on 24^th May 1898, to celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday (Ayr Advertiser [1898] in Close, R. 2021). The hall was formally opened on 15^th December 1899. William Berry, a blacksmith, was the first hall-keeper, who held the position until 1917.

Successive Ordnance Survey maps show that the footprint of the building and its plot have changed little, with the exception of a small extension, which was added to the rear in 2012 to accommodate a lift.

The toilets, located to the right of the principal staircase, were originally only for men and were later subdivided to provide facilities for women.

In 2013-2014 the building was used temporarily by the local primary school whilst their new building was being built on Woodside Avenue (Ayrshire 21, 2013). The building is currently in use as a community shop and village hall and provides accommodation as a bowling club (2024).

Statement of Interest

McCosh Hall meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

It is a good surviving example of a purpose-built Working Men's Club. It is largely unaltered and retains much of its original late-19th century character, including its plan form and some internal fixtures and fittings.

It is a prominent landmark within its village setting and forms part of a wider group of historic weaver's cottages, buildings which have a direct association with the former club's function.

It is a rare surviving example of a purpose-built working men's club, a new building type developed in the later 19^th century. Not many were known to have been built.

It is notable for its social historic interest providing communal facilities for the working population of the village. It tells us about the aspirations for Working Men's Clubs at the turn of the 20^th century and how they were funded.

Architectural interest

Design

Working Men's Clubs or Institutes in Scotland, provided spaces where working people could meet outside of their homes that didn't involve public houses or inns. These clubs or institutes were designed in a variety of architectural styles, but many were not purpose-built and instead occupied and adapted earlier buildings.

The McCosh Hall is notable as a purpose-built example of a working men's club. The eclectic style of the building reflects its later-19th century construction date, when it was popular to use a variety of traditional architectural styles in a non-historicist way. The unusual appearance also reflects the fact that it was designed and built by a builder, rather than a named architect.

The building has good stonework and detailing, particularly to its principal elevation and the use of red sandstone, sourced locally from the Ballochmyle Quarry, Mauchline, makes it stand out from the other buildings in the village. The clock tower with simple gothic detailing and working original bell is a distinctive feature. The decorative cast iron railings and boundary wall in front of the property also contribute to the design interest of the building.

Whilst the use of the internal spaces has changed over time, the internal plan form has remained relatively unchanged and continues to reflect the flexible and multi-purpose nature of the building's original use.

The internal decorative scheme retains some of its late 19th century features and character. While its features are typical for a building of this date and type, their survival adds to the special interest of the building.

The external appearance of the building has remained largely unchanged, except for the addition of a small rear extension in 2012, and the insertion of replacement windows and an entrance ramp in recent years. These changes do not adversely affect the overall character of the building. On balance the building has remained reasonably unaltered since the late 19th century. It retains its form (both in plan and elevations), openings and a significant amount of late-19th century fabric.

Setting

McCosh Hall was designed to be highly visible within its historic setting, and it is an important focal point within this small settlement. McCosh Hall is located on a main thoroughfare in the small village of Kirkmichael. Due to its larger scale relative to other buildings in the village, which largely comprise of rows of late 18^th century single-storey weavers' cottages, and with its landmark clock tower, it is highly prominent within its setting. While the use of exposed red sandstone is common throughout Scotland, its use here makes the building stand out further within the streetscape.

The immediate setting of the hall has not changed significantly since that shown on the 2^nd Edition Ordnance Survey map (revised 1908, published 1909). The historic plot is unaltered and the green to the rear has likely been used by the local bowling club since the hall first opened. Two houses were added to the plot to the east by the earlier 20^th century (one of which functioned as a police station). These are minor changes that do not detract from the overall historic setting of the building. The boundary walls to the street are topped by decorative railings and these contribute to the historic setting of the building and the conservation area.

The wider setting has also changed very little. The village retains much of its rural 18^th and 19^th century character, despite the addition of housing pockets that were added to the east and southeast in the mid to late 20^th century. The connection between the working men's hall and the surviving weavers' cottages contributes directly to our understanding of the building's function and its historical context. Many of the houses to the south and east on Patna Road are listed at category B and C and make up the core of the conservation area.

Historic interest

Age and rarity

Working Men's Clubs are not a prolific building type and those that were purpose-built are less common.

The Working Men's Club/Institute movement can trace its origins to the mid-19^th century. The first working men's institute opened in Salford, England in 1858 and The Reverend Henry Solly founded the 'Working Men's Club and Institute Union' in 1862. Functionally similar to village halls, they played an increasingly important role in village community life by the turn of the 20^th century. Sometimes gifted to a community by a local philanthropist or funded by a grant, such as the District Miners' Welfare Fund, they would offer a place for working men to gather for recreation and sometimes also for learning, with reading rooms often included for this purpose. Earlier examples tended to use pre-existing buildings but the majority of purpose-built examples date from between the later 19^th century and the early 20^th century.

There is a small number of listed examples of purpose-built working men's clubs in Scotland. The majority of these are located in towns or cities and were built in the last quarter of the 19^th century. Examples of note include 25 and 26 High Street, Duns (listed category B, ref: LB26526), which dates to 1877, 31-37 High Street, Blairgowrie (listed category B, ref: LB22296), which was built in 1870, and the Cowan Institute, Penicuik (listed category C, ref: LB46821), built in 1893.

The McCosh Hall is of special historic interest as a relatively rare surviving example of a purpose-built working men's club that survives largely in its original form and with much of its early character still evident.

Social historical interest

Social historical interest is the way a building contributes to our understanding of how people lived in the past, and how our social and economic history is shown in a building and/or in its setting.

McCosh Hall has remained in constant use by the local community since its construction in 1899, therefore it plays an important social role in the village. Kirkmichael's Working Men's Club was established in 1868 by the Shaw-Kennedys of Kirkmichael House to supply "the working men of Kirkmichael with suitable recreation in their leisure time," (Ayr Advertiser (1899), in Close, R. 2021). Prior to the construction of McCosh Hall, they may have used one of the cottages owned by the family in the village (Close, R. 2020).

Working Men's Clubs were notable for providing modern facilities for working men. Institutes or clubs were funded by local landowners, benefactors or business owners to encourage recreation and political engagement for the overall betterment of the working population. Newspaper articles from the 19^th century suggest the working men's clubs like McCosh Hall played an important social role in the community. For example, Inverness Working Men's Club is described in the Dundee Advertiser (12 December 1865) as a place to '…afford working men amusement, instruction and refreshment combined. There were books, maps, pictures, coffee-room, smoking-room, draughts, chess, bagatelle, etc.' These buildings became the centre of community life, also hosting dinners and dances.

The McCosh Hall has special social historical interest as it illustrates the growing aspirations of the working population to engage in sociability and education.

Association with people or events of national importance

This building has a direct connection with a prominent local person however this association is not of national importance.

The working men's club building in Kirkmichael was opened in 1899 and was named the McCosh Hall after Dr John McCosh. McCosh was born in 1805 in Kirkmichael parish, where his father was a teacher. He became a doctor, and in 1831 he went to India. For the next 25 years he worked there as a military surgeon in the army of the British East India Company. As well as his medical duties, he had several hobbies including poetry and photography, a recent invention at that time. He took some of the earliest photographs which exist of Indian and Burmese peoples and architecture, and of British soldiers on active service.

The money from McCosh's will went first to his niece, so that the interest from it could support her during her lifetime, and after her death it was put to the purposes he had specified in his will.

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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.