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Summary

Description

Early 18th century. Former country house, comprising original 2-storey and attic 5-bay classical main block (now extended to W) with principal entrance elevation to N, advanced and gabled centre bay at front and rear giving approximate cruciform plan. Main block extended to W with 2-storey addition, pavilions flanking entrance courtyard to E and W, each with courtyards to outer elevations. L-plan single storey stables cottage to E of main house. Harled walls with droved ashlar chamfered margins.

MAIN HOUSE; N ELEVATION: symmetrical 5-bay original house at left, centre bay advanced and gabled with corniced ashlar entrance porch advanced at ground floor, stone steps within. 6-panel, 2-leaf timber entrance door with 6-pane fanlight above. 3-bay extension to right (W), entrance door centred at 1st floor, accessed by modern stair with slit window adjacent to left.

S ELEVATION: 5-bay symmetrical elevation of original house to right comprising advanced and chimney-gabled centre bay (with window in gablehead) and door at ground floor bay to outer left. 3-bay addition slightly advanced and extending to left, single window centred at 1st floor over bays to right.

PAVILIONS: single storey and attic harled pavilion (now Gamekeeper?s Cottage and Kennel?s Cottage) lining W side of courtyard, blank E wall, gabled N end, lower gabled projection with door in E wall projecting to N. Modernised W elevation with gabled dormers breaking eaves. Kennel enclosures flanking courtyard to W. Modern addition to S (Tigh Beag Geal).

Roofless rubble single storey range (former laundry) with lean-to at N elevation, lining E side of courtyard. Harled single storey L-plan steading adjacent to E.

STABLES COTTAGE: harled L-plan single storey building (former rent office) with modern openings.

Timber sash and case windows, mainly plate glass to main house, lying-pane and 4-pane windows at left bays of W pavilion, W elevation. Grey slate roofs, overhanging timber eaves and piended ends to original house, gabled to W addition, piended pavilions, steading and stables cottage. Piend-roofed slate-hung timber dormers to original house. Harled and coped stacks with circular cans.

INTERIOR: later 19th century timber stair with turned spindles at centre of original house, some fielded-panel timber doors surviving.

BOUNDARY WALLS: random rubble wall to E of steading, large drum gatepiers with pyramidal caps and corresponding pier at NE corner of steading. Random rubble wall bounding N side of Kennels courtyard.

Statement of Special Interest

Built as the Kintyre residence of the Duke of Argyll, the 7th Earl had been granted the lordship of Kintyre by James VI in 1607, its policies once extended to the back of Castlehill. It is known to have been occupied as a dower-house by Elizabeth Tollemache, widow of the first Duke of Argyll, who died there in 1735. The layout of Limecraigs is typical of that adopted for the small laird?s house of the early 18th century. Rowatt?s drawing of 1757 shows the original layout which comprised a 2-storey and attic dwelling house occupying the S side of a small courtyard, open to the N, with a kitchen and barn to the W and a bake-house, stable and byre to the E. Although it has been much altered by subdivision into several dwellings, Limecraigs survives as Campbeltown?s most historic house.

References

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