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Summary

Description

Alexander Thomson, 1859-60 with later additions. 2-storey with slightly later single storey service wing and later/late 20th century garage; 2-bay; L-plan villa (former United Presbyterian manse, made T-plan when garage added) with 'Greek' detailing, mullioned windows (including gabled weatherboarded oriel to principal (S) elevation), shallow gables and deep overhanging eaves. Squared and snecked sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings. Painted margins to openings.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: gabled bay to left with slightly projecting mullioned tripartite to ground floor and weatherboarded mullioned 7-light oriel (with decoratively ornamented gablehead and flanking timber struts) above. Single storey porch (crenellated parapet carved with anthemion designs) to re-entrant angle formed with recessed bay to right; narrow window adjoins projecting bay; entrance with irregular 2-leaf boarded timber door to right return. Mullioned tripartite set back to 1st floor of right bay; small square window to right of ground floor. Single storey service wing recessed slightly to outer right with mullioned bipartite.

W ELEVATION: mainly occupied by gabled bay to left; bipartite window with pilaster mullion to 1st floor; window to left of ground floor. Flat-roofed garage addition adjoins to outer left.

E ELEVATION: gable end of service wing projects to ground floor; mullioned birpartite. Mullioned tripartite set back to 1st floor of gable end of main block.

N ELEVATION: window to left of ground floor; one above to centre. Flat-roofed garage addition projects to right of ground floor. Single storey service wing adjoins to left; entrance to right; window to left.

Mainly 2 and 9-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roofs (apart from to garage addition). Corniced stack to centre of main block; round cans.

INTERIOR: retains much of Thomson's original decorative scheme: trademark 'Greek' door panelling with vertically divided lower section and horizontal upper panel. Decorative cast-iron balustrade with timber rail. Plasterwork cornices with 'Greek' dentillation and paterae.

Statement of Special Interest

A distinctive intact building by one of Scotland's most accomplished and well-known architects. Alexander 'Greek' Thomson is largely known for the larger scale commercial and ecclesiastical buildings he designed in Glasgow in the mid-later 19th century. He was born in Balfron (at Endrick Cottage on Printers' Row), where his father worked as a bookeeper at the Ballindalloch Cotton Works and moved to Glasgow when he was 7 years old. The house was built as the manse for the United Presbyterian Church. The UP Church minutes of 1 August 1859 detail that the minister, the Rev Mr Robertson, was advised to write to Mr Thomson regarding 'the site for the manse' and the resulting form confirms the attribution to Thomson.

References

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