Graycourt, West Dhuhill Drive, Helensburgh

Graycourt, West Dhuhill Drive, Helensburgh

A N Paterson, 1911. A 2-storey and attic Scottish Arts and Crafts villa of asymmetrical L-plan, incorporating 17th century Renaissance details. The building is harled in cream and red with snecked sandstone and ashlar dressings, principally to the ground storey of the south elevation. Windows are mostly timber mullioned with overhanging eaves throughout.

The south (entrance) elevation is the principal façade. A full-height canted entrance bay with jettied gablehead positioned off-centre to the right contains windows to ground and first-floor levels on either side. An engaged tower rises to the outer left. The entrance bay features rounded angles below a deep roof-moulding surround; windows at ground floor are centred, with a small bipartite window above having an ashlar mullion, splayed and moulded reveals, and lead-pane glazing. A monogrammed panel inscribed JRCMRC sits above, partly covered by ivy as of 1991. To the left on the return is a doorway with a boarded door and a small lead-pane glazed window above it, with a date stone set higher. A 2-light window on the first floor sits within a semi-circular headed recess with keystone; another window appears on the left return. The upper storey contains a 7-light strip window (2-3-2 configuration) with a semi-octagonal headed fanlight to the centre light. To the right at ground level is a tripartite ashlar mullioned window, with a 5-light window above on the first floor and a 2-light dormer further up. A 2-storey wing to the left of the entrance block contains an engaged octagonal tower to its SE angle, with 5-light windows at ground and first-floor levels and moulded lintels beneath a finialled bell-cast slate roof. Between the entrance block and tower sits a slightly recessed bay at ground level with a canted window off-centre right and chamfered ingoes corbelled below the jettied first floor; above this is a 5-light window with a blank moulded panel flanking the 2nd and 3rd lights.

The west (side) elevation includes a conservatory abutting to the left of the tower. A canted oriel is positioned at the NW angle, adjoining another canted oriel on the north elevation.

The north (rear) elevation features a door off-centre left with a window to its right; two windows sit above at first-floor level, and a gable to the right has a stack breaking its apex. A canted oriel occupies the outer right. A tall narrow stair window stands to the left of the door. A wing advances to the left; its west elevation displays a lop-sided gable to the outer left with a stack breaking the apex, five windows at ground level, a window to the outer left at first floor set within a semi-circular arched recess, and a small window to the right. A bipartite window to the far right has blank moulded panels flanking it. A door on the left return has a window flanking it to the right.

The east (side) elevation contains a lop-sided gabled bay to the left with a slightly advanced wall-face to the left and stepped corbelled detail to the right below the gablehead. Three windows occupy ground and first-floor levels; a semi-circular headed window with keystone sits within the gablehead. A bipartite ashlar mullioned window stands at ground level to the right, with a tripartite window above. To the far right, a semi-circular headed doorway leads to a recessed bay.

Multi-pane casement windows are employed throughout. The roof is of grey slate. Harled corniced stacks and a cream and pink stugged snecked sandstone wallhead stack to the left of the canted entrance block feature off-set tops with rounded angles and cornicing.

Interior details include a lead-pane half-glazed vestibule door with an inscribed surround and cornice; a plain cornice with floreate plaster band to the hall ceiling; timber balustered rail and columnar screen to the stair at first-floor level; a timber beamed ceiling to the drawing room with a tall angle timber chimneypiece inscribed "East West, Hame's Best"; an Adamesque style chimneypiece to the smaller drawing room; geometric plasterwork to the dining room with corbelled fan pendentives to a sideboard recess; and a variegated black marble chimneypiece.

The early 20th century conservatory has a rectangular plan, canted to the south, with a tall harled base of ashlar coping, 2-pane pivot glazing, and a course of fixed panes above.

A low harled boundary wall with regularly spaced dividing piers runs around the property, with quadrant walls flanking the gates.