Cairndhu House, Cairndhu Gardens, Helensburgh

Cairndhu House, Helensburgh

A 2-storey villa with attic designed by William Leiper in 1871, with a service wing addition by Leiper in 1902. The interior was decorated by Daniel Cottier. The building is an almost square-plan French Renaissance style villa with asymmetrical composition and exceptionally fine interior decoration.

The external walls are of squared, coursed and stugged grey sandstone with polished cream ashlar dressings. A tall moulded base course, cill courses, frieze and cornice run around the building. Windows are mostly bipartite and multi-partite with ashlar mullions and transoms; moulded reveals are throughout.

The south (entrance) elevation features a curved angle to the outer left expressed as an engaged circular tower with a French Pavilion roof. A lower 3-bay wing recesses to the right with a circular stair tower in the re-entrant angle, and an entrance porch adjoins to the outer right. To the right of the stair tower is a bipartite window at ground level with cornice and pendants; a fluted apron above this rises to a pilastered bipartite window at first floor with an entablature; above is a pedimented, pilastered dormer with finials. A similar arrangement of windows appears to the right without the cornice, pendants and apron above the ground floor window. A slightly advanced gabled bay to the far right contains a canted window at ground arranged (1-3-1) with side windows flanked by fluted and banded pilasters, and a balustraded parapet with ball finials. An architraved tripartite window sits above. A window to the gablehead has a semi-circular pediment with sculptured tympanum and finial; ball finials block the skewputts, kneelers and gable apex. A 3-stage stair turret in the re-entrant angle has string courses and a window to each stage, with a corbelled parapet (roof removed). A curved tower bay to the outer left has a slightly advanced bay to the centre, with bipartite windows at ground and first floor. The first floor window has a balustraded balcony supported on heavy console brackets with incised decoration, fluted pilasters, and a frieze decorated with paterae; a moulded apron above rises to a dormer with twin semi-circular arched windows with a colonnette between them and flanking, and a shaped finialled gable with a sculptured medallion to the gablehead. Single windows flank at ground and first floor. An architraved ashlar dormer on the return to the left (west) has a flat roof and shaped sculptured pediment with a mask to the centre; a group of 3 tall polygonal corniced stacks adjoins to the left on a stepped wallhead base. A semi-conical roof crowns the tower with a lantern.

The entrance porch is a single storey block with an entablature and blocking course, balustraded with ball finials on the south elevation, continued from the canted window to the left. The porch to the south is flanked by composite columns, with a lion rampant shield to the frieze and responding pilasters flanking a semi-circular headed doorway set in a squared panel with roll-moulding; the modern (1990) aluminium door occupies this opening. A marble floor extends to the vestibule, which has a barrel-vaulted timber roof and a shouldered-arch doorway with 2-leaf panelled doors and a half-glazed vestibule door. A 2-bay return to the right (east) has a single window to the left and a 4-light window to the right with stained glass; a similar window appears on the north return.

The east (side) elevation has a bipartite window to the right above the entrance block, and a window to the left, with a gablehead above containing kneelers, ball finials and a group of polygonal stacks at the apex. A gabled return to the right (north) has a bipartite attic window to the gable. An advanced bay to the right contains a bipartite window to the right and a window to the left, with 2 dormers above.

The north (rear) elevation features a semi-circular headed Elizabethan stair window to the centre, with gable bays flanking. A group of polygonal stacks rises to the apex of the left gable; a bipartite attic window appears to the right gable. Lower service wings project from this elevation. A single storey block to the centre has a piended roof. A taller 2-storey gabled wing to the left has 2 cigar stacks to the apex with an arcaded cornice, with modern additions abutting. A 2-storey block to the outer right has jettied half-timbering at first floor (1902), supported on wooden brackets with stone corbels; a doorway with a stone forestair appears to the left, with a blocked door (now a window) to the right, and a window to the left at first floor. A return to the left has 2 windows at first floor, and a return to the right has a bipartite window at ground and a window at first floor.

The west elevation has 2 slightly recessed bays to the centre with 2 windows at ground and first floor, with a pedimented ashlar dormer above the centre and flat-roofed dormers flanking. A gabled bay to the left has a bipartite window at ground and a window at first floor, with a group of polygonal corniced stacks at the apex. A single storey and attic wing advances to the left, with a bipartite window at ground and a window above breaking the eaves with a pedimented dormerhead. A half-timbered wing extends to the outer left.

The roof is of grey and green slate with groups of ashlar corniced, polygonal stacks. Original rainwater goods are retained. Plate glass casement windows are throughout.

The interior contains exceptional decoration by Daniel Cottier. The hall features wainscot, a timber beamed ceiling with a sunflower motif, an ashlar chimneypiece with lion head corbels below the mantelpiece, and a timber overmantel with a scrolled pediment. A timber balustraded screen divides the hall from the stair; a timber balustered dog-leg stair ascends. The drawing-room has wainscot and a marble Rococo style chimneypiece, with a coved ceiling featuring finely detailed floriate and foliated Japanese-influenced decoration. The dining-room contains wainscot, an original timber chimneypiece, and a stencilled timber panelled ceiling with beams supported on corbels with carved angles.

Stained glass windows by Daniel Cottier feature lead-pane glazing with figurative and bird panels framed by sunflowers. Similar decorated panels appear to the stair window, including lion rampant and Glasgow coat of arms panels. The timber panelled ceilings throughout bear stencil work decoration by Cottier.