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Summary

Description

R S Ingram, 1891. Single storey and basement, crow-stepped, multi-gabled, Scots Baronial purpose-built museum, situated on sloping site with distinctive octagonal 2-stage bartizaned entrance tower. Squared and snecked red sandstone with ashlar margins. Deep base course. Moulded, stepped string course to tower. Canted gable to E. Some tripartite window openings with stone mullions.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: principal elevation to N with entrance tower to left with steps leading to 2-leaf, 6-panel timber entrance door with chamfered architrave and glazed rectangular fanlight. Corbelled, crenellated parapet above with crenellated bartizans with arrow slits.

Predominantly 9- over 2-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Coped gable and wallhead stacks. Moulded skew putts. Some basement windows bricked-up.

INTERIOR: original floor-plan largely intact. Internal porch with tesserae tiled floor and 2-leaf timber and glass swing doors to right. Segmental archways to hall. Timber flooring. Some rooms with simple cornicing, timber dado panelling and one with very simple classical marble fire surround. Some working timber shutters. Glass and timber doors with glass sidelights and timber architraves.

Statement of Special Interest

The Baird Institute is a distinctive building with a particularly striking crenellated and bartizaned entrance tower. This tower and the range of crow-stepped gables add significant character to streetscape of Cumnock. Internally, much of the original timber dado panelling is retained and one simple marble fire surround remains.

Robert Sampson Ingram (1841-1915) was born in Kilmarnock and practised primarily in the Ayrshire area. His buildings include some private dwellings along with churches, schools and other public buildings.

John Baird was a local man who had a particular interest in science and art. He inherited a considerable amount of property in Lugar Street in Cumnock. He died in 1888, leaving a bequest that his estate would be used to create a public building which would provide the town of Cumnock with a reading room, a museum and recreation rooms. This was to be built on land which he had previously owned and was joined to his property on Lugar Street. The Institute was opened in 1891 by a Mrs Brackenridge, wife of the Town Clerk and originally contained a museum, reading room, billiards room, cloakroom, toilets and a keeper's house in the basement.

Built originally as a museum and reading room, the building continues as a local museum and library (2007).

References

Bibliography

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