Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

North Lodge and Gatepiers, excluding flat roof additions to north and east, Kelburn Castle Estate, Fairlie LB7304

Status: Designated

Documents

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Summary

Category
C
Date Added
29/08/1985
Last Date Amended
17/11/2016
Supplementary Information Updated
21/11/2016
Local Authority
North Ayrshire
Planning Authority
North Ayrshire
Parish
Largs
NGR
NS 21165 57187
Coordinates
221165, 657187

Description

Around 1885. A single-storey, 3-bay, broadly L-plan gate lodge in the Scots Baronial style with conical turret and crowstepped gables. Built of pale, snecked and stugged ashlar with polished dressings. There is a turret in the re-entrant angle with a segmental-headed door, a blank rectangular panel and a hood-moulded arrow slit above. The conical roof is corniced with banded fish-scale slating and a metal finial. There is a single window to the left of the door, and a canted window in the gable end to the right. The building has corniced stacks and a slate roof. The windows are non-traditional, uPVC replacements.

To the south of the building are four square-plan, panelled and corniced gatepiers of polished ashlar, marking the entrance to the north approach drive to Kelburn Castle. There are simple cast-iron gates with spear-head rails.

In accordance with Section 1(4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: flat roof additions to the north and east.

Statement of Special Interest

This gate lodge and gatepiers are typical examples of estate ancillary buildings, built in the Scots Baronial style popularised in the second half of the late 19th century and survive largely in their late 19th century form. The lodge and gates are of interest in the context of the estate and the improvements made to the estate during the second half of the 19th century. The lodge and gatepiers contribute to the context of the Kelburn Castle estate, marking the principal public and private entrance to the grounds.

In accordance with Section 1(4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: flat roof additions to the north and east.

Age and Rarity

The north approach drive to Kelburn Castle is shown on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Map, surveyed 1855. No buildings are shown at the entrance until the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey in 1895, which shows this lodge identified as 'North Lodge'. Confusingly, this present North Lodge was listed in 1985 as 'Kelburn West Lodge'. This is likely because earlier pavilion lodges at NS 20995 56727 were located at the former west approach drive which is now separated from the estate by the main road and is now in separate ownership.

The North Lodge and north drive gatepiers and gates were built as part of extensive improvement works carried out the estate by the 6th Earl of Glasgow after he inherited in 1869, and the coming of the railway and the associated changes to the estate in 1885 with the realigning of the road to accommodate the Ardrossan and Largs branch railway line skirting the coastline to the west of the Kelburn estate.

Kelburn is among the oldest ancestral country seats in Scotland to have been continuously inhabited by successive generations of one family, having been in possession of the Boyle family (formerly 'de Boyville') since the 12th century. Kelburn has a prominent coastal setting to the south of the town of Largs, with views from the castle across the Firth of Clyde to the Isles of Cumbrae and Bute and southwest to the Isle of Arran. The Kel Burn runs through the estate, passing through a wooded ravine and over a 15 metre high waterfall into a naturally carved pool to the southwest of the castle.

Architectural or Historic Interest

Interior

The interior was not seen at the time of the review in 2016.

Plan form

The slightly asymmetrical, L-plan form of this gate lodge is typical of lodges built in the Baronial style between 1850 and 1900 across Scotland.

Technological excellence or innovation, material or design quality

The North Lodge is well detailed with crowstepped gables and a conical tower typical of gate lodge building in Scotland during the mid to late 19th century. The four square-plan gatepiers at the north approach drive are of a typical, corniced cap design and are probably of a similar date to the gatepiers at the south drive entrance (LB7302) with ball-finialled caps and ornate wrought iron gates with thistle finials.

Setting

This formal gateway marks the entrance to the principal north approach drive to the castle, probably first established in the late 18th century however the castle is not visible from the gates. The gates and the gate lodge are prominently located and are a notable part of the setting and context of the Kelburn Castle estate, marking a principal public and private entrance to the policies.

Regional variations

There are no known regional variations.

Close Historical Associations

None known at present. Kelburn is among the oldest country seats in Scotland to have been continuously inhabited by successive generations of one family, the Boyles.

Statutory address, category of listing changed from B to C and listed building record revised in 2016. Previously listed as 'Kelburn West Lodge and Gatepiers'.

References

Bibliography

Canmore: http://canmore.org.uk/ CANMORE ID: 206537

Maps

Ordnance Survey (surveyed 1855; published 1857) Ayrshire, Sheet VI (includes: Cumbrae; West Kilbride) 6 inch to 1 mile, 1st Edition. Southampton: Ordnance Survey

Ordnance Survey (surveyed 1895; published 1897) Ayrshire 006.04 (includes: Largs) 6 inch to 1 mile, 2nd Edition. Southampton: Ordnance Survey

Printed Sources

Close R. and Riches A. (2012) Buildings of Scotland – Ayrshire and Arran. London: Yale University Press. pp.392-399

Close R. (1992) Ayrshire and Arran - An Illustrated Architectural Guide. Edinburgh: Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, p.82

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.

Images

North Lodge and Gatepiers at North Drive Entrance, Kelburn Castle, looking north, on a partly cloudy day
North Lodge at North Drive Entrance, Kelburn Castle, looking north, with blue sky

Map

Map of North Lodge and Gatepiers, excluding flat roof additions to north and east, Kelburn Castle Estate, Fairlie

Printed: 21/05/2024 05:55