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Summary

Description

Circa 1830, minor alterations circa 1930 (to rear and interior). 2-storey 3-bay L-plan classical villa with Grecian details. Outer pilasters supporting entablature; portico with Doric columns and block pediment with acroteria; pilastered entrance with 2-leaf timber panelled outer door (2 original cast-iron lions' head door knockers). Ground floor windows with moulded architraves and rosettes; block pedimented cornices with acroteria above. Lugged architraves to 1st floor windows. Grey sandstone ashlar; harled gables and rear with sandstone margins. Adjoining stone-built single storey outbuilding to R of house (converted to garage, see Notes) with key-blocked segmental arch and timber boarded door to L.

NE (REAR) ELEVATION: modern timber lean-to at ground in re-entrant angle, stair window above; tripartite window (1930s) to ground L with central section as door; single window above. 2 over 2 windows to projecting wing at R.

Timber sash and case 12-pane glazing throughout (1 to rear replaced with 2-pane). Grey-green slate roof; stone ridge; flat skews; corniced end stacks and wallhead stack to rear (all replacement cans). Original cast-iron rainwater goods to front elevation.

BOUNDARY WALLS, RAILINGS AND GATEPIERS: original cast-iron railings to front with ashlar gatepiers. Random rubble wall to R of house running N-S with roughly hewn copes; similar wall to rear.

INTERIOR: classical decorative scheme in place with some Art Deco intervention. Hall: herring-bone parquet floor (1930s); curving cantilevered stair (boxed off below to form cupboard, 1930s) with cast-iron balustrade and mahogany handrail; further small stair off at half-landing to rear wing. Former dining room ground R: original black slate Doric chimneypiece with paired pilasters, reeded frieze, plain corner roundels and marble slip (sympathetically extended to form broader Art Deco surround, 1930s); flanking Art Deco niches with stylised Grecian details; original timber panelled window embrasures with working shutters and moulded architrave; plain moulded cornice. Former drawing room 1st floor R: moulded cornice with band of thistles; panelled doors and window embrasures with moulded Grecian architraves.

Statement of Special Interest

Situated in the Townhead area of Beith, Taynish and its neighbour, Knockbuckle (at 2 and 2a Barrmill Road, separately listed), are notable for their relative grandeur in the town. On the elevated ground of Knockbuckle Hill, the villas are adjacent to the High Church (separately listed) and are in a prominent position on what is a main approach route to the town from Barrmill in the SE.

Essentially Taynish is a typical 2-storey 3-bay villa given stature by its impressive ashlar frontage and highly fashionable Grecian detailing. The house is just one room deep (plus the rear wing) and therefore smaller inside than it may at first appear, but its perfect classical proportions compensate for its small size. The precisely cut stone, although most likely quarried locally, would have been very expensive, particularly the larger blocks used for the pedimented porch.

Other similar contemporary examples to Taynish include 12 The Strand; and 44, 62, 64, 72 and 76 Eglinton Street (all separately listed) all of which have characteristic outer pilasters and varying degrees of Grecian detailing. The style can be linked with the work of David Hamilton (1768-1843). Notable examples of this type in Ayrshire include Hamilton's Ladyland House, Kilbirnie, circa 1820; and Swindridgemuir, Dalry, 1815 (probably by Hamilton), both separately listed.

Taynish is well preserved and has benefited from a careful programme of grant aided repair carried out by the owners and Historic Scotland in 2001. This included removal of paint from rear window margins; stonework and harling repairs; replacement of sash windows to the front to match the originals; replacement of uPVC rhones and downpipes with cast-iron and repair of existing cast-iron rainwater goods. The excellent condition of the house and its and prominent setting make it a valuable asset to the town's built heritage. The mildly Art Deco internal alterations carried out in the 1930s complement the classical designs and do not detract from the original period features.

References

Bibliography

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