Craigard, Low Askomil, Campbeltown

Craigard, Low Askomil, Campbeltown

Dated 1882. A large and irregularly composed Italianate villa, now used as a rest home. The building consists of a two-bay, two-storey main block with an additional bay projecting to the east, set back from the principal elevation, and a three-storey square tower situated in the re-entrant angle at the north end of the west elevation. The walls are stugged ashlar with squared and snecked stonework to the wings and polished ashlar dressings and details. The rear elevations are harled with droved ashlar dressings. A base course extends to ground floor cill height, and an eaves course runs across the main block.

The tower is three-staged with horizontal channelling up to a string course at the impost level of the entrance door. The entrance is set into the south face as a round-arched opening with an architraved head and keystone, flanking brackets supporting a cornice above, and comprises six-panel double-leaf doors approached by stone steps with a low wall to the left. A narrow window pierces the west face at ground floor, while the first floor carries two narrow round-arched windows to both south and west faces. The second floor features two-light round-arched arcaded windows to the south, west, and north faces, with colonnettes between carrying capitals and bases, except for a square column at the north window. String courses mark the impost level. A wide stack, slightly advanced, rises at the east face.

The south (principal) elevation, excluding the tower, presents a main block of three bays, the third being narrower and set back to the right. The leftmost bay is slightly advanced and contains a large two-storey five-light bowed window, with the first floor windows arcaded and featuring columnar mullions and channelled voussoirs around the arch heads. The second bay has a bipartite window at ground level topped with a cornice, and above it a two-light round-arched arcaded window with a columnar mullion at centre, channelled voussoirs, and a bracketed cill. The third bay holds a door at ground level (a former window) and a window above.

The east elevation displays a round-arched window at first floor to the outer left, with channelled voussoirs and a bracketed cill, and narrow windows at ground and first floor to the outer right.

The north (rear) elevation comprises three bays with the leftmost bays advanced. At ground floor, a door occupies the left bay while a bipartite window sits in the right bay. A first floor window appears only in the right bay. A large stair window in the right bay consists of a round-arched principal window with flanking round-arched windows and small circular windows above, all contained within a round-arched surround.

The east wing is two storeys low, presenting a three-bay south elevation. The first bay carries tripartite windows at both floors with, at first floor, a bracketed cill and fluted square columnar mullions. The second bay features a large round-arched former pend opening at ground floor, now glazed as french windows, with a bipartite window above and a bracketed cill with square fluted columnar mullion at centre. A single parapetted bay to the right carries a bipartite window.

The west wing rises three storeys and displays four bays with a principal front facing west. The first bay has a bipartite window at first floor, with a former boiler house projecting to the west below and a balustraded parapet forming a garden terrace at its main south-facing elevation; an infilled garage door stands to the left with a bipartite window to the right. A round-arched pend occupies the ground floor of the second bay. A datestone bearing the date 1882 is positioned between the third and fourth bay first floor windows, while a round-arched window marks the ground floor of the fourth bay.

Most openings contain plate glass timber sash and case windows; modern glazing appears at the south front, while ground floor bipartite and four-pane timber sash and case windows occupy the rear of the main block. A glazed infill with blockwork apron closes the pend at the east wing. The west wing ground floor window at the fourth bay holds a stained glass timber-framed window of two round-arched lights with a circular light centred above. A stained glass window at the main staircase depicts Autumn.

The roof is covered in grey slate across the main block, wings, and tower, with overhanging timber eaves bracketed to the principal front and tower. The ridges of the main block, bow window, and wings terminate in finials, and a weathervane crowns the apex of the tower roof. Ornate cast-iron balconies adorn the bow window at first floor and over the entrance doorpiece. Cast-iron profiled gutters with square downpipes and decorative brackets complete the external detailing at the end elevations.

Two coped ashlar stacks are present: one to the east face of the tower and one wallhead stack at the north wall of the west wing, both finished with circular cans.

The interior retains most original fittings, including panelled doors, shutters, cornices, timber chimneypieces, and an ornate timber stair.

The boundary walls comprise a random rubble wall with ashlar cope fronting Low Askomil, and a roughcast retaining wall to the rear with ashlar cope and hooped railings.