Documents

There are no additional online documents for this record.

Summary

Description

Late 18th century, 2-storey, 3-bay house, part of a domestic corner block at Main Street and Wellwood Terrace. The building is constructed of rubble (painted white) with a central door flanked by paired windows to ground. Upper floor has timber sash and case windows with four-pane glazing. The roof has a slate covering, and coped end chimney stacks. There is an external forestair to the left gable, accessing the upper floor (part of No. 29 High Street, see separate listing).

The coursed rubble stone construction is typical for the building's date. There are also architectural features which are typical of the late 18th century, such as the position and proportions of the upper windows abutting the eaves.

Historical background

Auchencairn is a village situated near the south shore of Dumfries and Galloway. It was established in the 17th century as an agricultural village, with associated fishery and small port at nearby Auchencairn Bay. The village grew around a corn mill and the oldest houses in Auchencairn are those nearest the now demolished corn mill site to the west of the village. No. 31 is part of this group of earlier buildings within the village, retains its domestic use, and its exterior form survives with relatively little change to the principal elevation (2023).

Statement of Special Interest

The building meets the criteria for listing for the following reasons:

• It is a typical example of a traditional late 18^th century domestic building which survives largely in its original form to the exterior. The building retains 18th century features, such as its window openings and roofline."
• It is a prominent historic building in the Auchencairn streetscape. It forms part of an architecturally and historically significant group of other historic buildings of similar date and type."" "
• Dating to the late 18^th century, it is an early surviving example of its building type.

It has special social historical interest as it illustrates the growing prosperity of the village during the late 18^th and early 19th century.

Listed building record updated in April 2024.

References

Bibliography

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.