The Crossways, 33 Charlotte Street, Helensburgh

The Crossways, 33 Charlotte Street, Helensburgh

A 2-storey Arts and Crafts house designed by Steart and Paterson in 1914, built on a U-plan with Scottish Renaissance style detailing. The building is harled with cream ashlar dressings throughout, featuring bipartite, tripartite and multi-partite timber casement windows with fixed upper panes at ground floor level. The first floor is marked by an interrupted cill course with the wall face set back above.

The north elevation facing the street presents the main entrance in the centre block, flanked by advanced wings. The doorcase features a lugged moulded architrave with keystone and a floriate carved panel above bearing the date and monogrammed initials LMG. The porch has a marble floor, timber door, and is accessed via ingoes (recessed doorway entrances). The windows are arranged asymmetrically—a small window to the far left and three windows to the right of the doorcase, with a bipartite window above it. A stepped tripartite transomed and mullioned stair window stands to the left. The left gable wing is advanced with a 3-light window at first floor to the north and an apex stack, while the return to the right shows a bipartite ground floor window and a cill course with setback wall above. The right gable features a jerkin head (a roof form with a triangular cut at the apex) and a wallhead stack breaking the eaves at centre. Widely spaced bipartite windows occupy the first floor, with windows in re-entrant angles (inset corners).

The east side elevation continues the cill course and wall setback from the north, with a canted window (formerly a window, now a door to centre) and two bipartite windows above at first floor. A gable bay to the outer left has an off-centre window at ground and a tripartite window at first floor with an apex stack.

The south garden elevation features a coped canted window off-centre left, bipartite and flanking windows, with a 4-light window above at first floor. Off-centre right, a tripartite French window with a tripartite window above introduces garden access. A full-height canted bay to the outer right contains bipartite centre and transomed flanking windows beneath a swept dripstone course, with a 4-light window at first floor centre and small flanking windows. A lop-sided gable bay to the outer left has a wallhead stack breaking the gable to the right, with bipartite windows at ground and first floor.

The west elevation shows a gabled bay to the right with apex stack, a door to the left, and a tripartite window to the right with a bipartite window above at first floor. An advanced wing to the left displays three windows at ground, a chamfered angle with a canted oriel breaking the eaves in a re-entrant angle.

The casement windows throughout feature lead-pane glazing patterns. The roof is red pantile with swept eaves, complemented by harled stacks with piended pantiled coping and original rainwater goods.

The interior remains largely unaltered and of fine quality. Wainscot lines the hall and principal reception rooms. The hall features a barrel vault with a balustraded screen to an adjoining en-suite room. Original chimneypieces survive, and the former dining room retains a decorative plaster ceiling. A fine timber balustrade graces the stair, and some original light fittings remain in place.

A 2-storey summer house and garage stand to the north-west of the main house, harled with a red tile piended roof. Its south elevation presents a boarded door to centre with small flanking windows and a tripartite window at first floor.

Gatepiers and gates flank the approach, constructed of stugged, squared and coursed cream ashlar square piers topped with cornice caps and polygonal finials.