Statement of Special Interest
The kennels at Kelburn Estate is a large and well-detailed example of a now rare building type which became prolific on larger country estates across Scotland after 1850. It survives largely as first constructed, retaining its Y-plan arrangement with runs to the west, and is distinguished by its gothic architectural details with bracketed overhanging eaves, tapering wall-head stacks, pointed-arch windows, timber porch overhang, and carved date panel to the west elevation. The Kennels at Kelburn Estate are a relatively rare survival of a medium to large scale kennel range. The Kennels form part of a distinctive and similarly detailed group of ancillary buildings including the inter-visible Gamekeeper's Cottage at NGR21326, 57761 and the Garden Cottage at NGR21538, 56994 to the south.
Age and Rarity
This purpose-built kennel block was added to the Kelburn Castle estate in 1870, as an early part of the extensive improvements made by the 6th Earl of Glasgow on his inheritance in 1869. The south gable has a carved quatrefoil plaque, dated 1870 with the letter G denoting George Boyle (1825-1890) the 6th Earl of Glasgow. Located on the long northern drive approach to Kelburn Castle, the L-plan footprint of this building is shown in its present location, with a small L-plan projection to the rear (north) elevation, on the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map, surveyed in 1908.
Landowners with the means to do so were keen to improve their estates in the second half of the 19th century in response to the greater diversification of land use either for industry or leisure. Many estate buildings with a specialised use were built during this period and were often given an architectural treatment that was repeated across the estate. The Garden Cottage, Gamekeeper's Cottage and Kennels at Kelburn Estate are typical of this type of en suite estate architecture of the period.
Purpose-built, detached kennels associated with country estates evidence the uptake of shooting and other recreational pursuits that were increasingly fashionable towards the end of the 19th century. Other listed examples in Scotland include the 1851 kennels at Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire (LB1467), the 1880 kennel at Moy Hall estate, Highlands (LB19218) and the former kennel block of 1876 at the Mount Stuart estate on the Isle of Bute (LB45023) which has paired pointed-arch windows to the projecting gable, similar to Kelburn, and which has recently been converted to a residential dwelling.
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.
In 1869 George Boyle, who held the office of Lord Clerk Register of Scotland, inherited Kelburn along with a number of other estates in Scotland and succeeded to the title of 6th Earl of Glasgow. He was responsible for a significant phase of development and improvement across the Kelburn estate including the building of the new garden cottage, the gamekeeper's cottage and nearby kennels in 1870, and additions to the castle itself.
Architectural or Historic Interest
Interior
The interior was not seen (2016).
Plan form
The symmetrical Y-plan arrangement is a practical layout for kennel design, with walled enclosures to the west and within the re-entrant angle to the south. This is a relatively large example of an estate kennels complex.
Technological excellence or innovation, material or design quality
The majority of estate kennel buildings in Scotland are architecturally plain, constructed for a functional purpose as part of estate development during the latter years of the 19th century. The Kelburn kennels is relatively large and designed with functionality, yet is also architecturally distinctive. It is notable for its gothic details with bracketed overhanging eaves, tapering wall-head stacks, pointed-arch windows, timber porch overhang, and carved date panel to the west elevation.
Setting
The kennels are located halfway up a steep hill overlooking the Firth of Clyde with the Isles of Great Cumbrae and Bute to the west. It is purposely located near the Gamekeeper's Cottage as its management was part of the gamekeeper's responsibilities. It is part of a wider group of associated contemporary estate buildings which reflect the 19th century development elsewhere on the Kelburn estate.
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.