Islay House, Islay

Islay House is a significant building located on Islay, originally constructed around 1680, with later alterations including enlarged window openings. The main block stands three storeys high, while two wings were added in 1737, each two storeys with an attic. The house features a traditional harled exterior, gabled roofs, and slate roofing with crow-stepped gables. It includes piended dormers and polygonal stair-towers, with the eastern stair-tower added around 1760. The design incorporates a flat roof with a balustraded parapet, band-courses, and Palladian windows.

Inside, the house boasts a splendid Georgian interior, highlighted by winding stairs and a drawing room. Additional offices were constructed at the southeast and rear of the property between 1841 and 1845 by architect William Playfair, showcasing a Scottish style with stugged ashlar, gabled roofs, slate roofing, and dormers. A two-storey-and-attic nursery wing, built in 1910, replaced part of Playfair's offices and screens the rear of the house. There is also a low addition at the northwest, serving as the head gamekeeper's home.