Craigvarren House, Ardconnel Road, Oban

Craigvarren House is a late 19th-century villa exhibiting stripped Gothic detailing, influenced by French and Tudor Gothic styles. The house is arranged in a low, two-storey L-plan, with the first floor breaking the eaves. A two-storey tower is situated within the re-entrant angle, and a cruciform ridge creates four gabled wings. A single-bay addition extends from the east gable, and a two-storey square tower breaks the eaves in the re-entrant angle.

The exterior walls are white-painted, constructed of squared and stugged rubble with droved dressings. Stop-chamfered arrises define the quoins and window jambs. Window and door openings have segmental heads, and the entrance door is framed by a roll-moulded surround. The addition to the east gable lacks distinctive dressings or chamfering.

The north (principal) elevation is five bays wide, with a two-storey addition to the east gable incorporating a dormer that breaks the eaves. Narrow, closely spaced windows are at ground floor level, with a dormer above. A small, additional window is located between bays 2 and 3 at ground floor level. The tower features windows on its east and north faces, deep bracketted timber cornices, swept eaves, and an entrance door on the north face, with a blank panel above. An advanced, gabled bay to the far right features a bipartite window at the first floor.

The west elevation is two bays wide, with the gable end of the south range visible on the right. Bipartite windows are at ground and first floor levels, with the first floor breaking the eaves. A three-light canted window is centered in the gable at ground floor, with a bipartite window above.

The south (rear) elevation is also five bays wide, with the gabled end of the west range on the left. Bipartite windows are at first floor level, with two widely spaced ground floor windows. A large stair window illuminates the landing in bay 2. Bays 3-5 have windows at first floor, with eaves breaking at bays 3 and 4. A modern single-storey extension is present at ground floor level.

The windows are primarily timber sash and case, featuring plate glass in the narrow and bipartite openings, and four-pane detailing elsewhere. A stained-glass window is located above the stairwell. The main roof is covered in grey slate, along with the dormers and the piend-roofed east addition. A bell-cast pyramidal tower roof is adorned with diminishing fishscale bands and a decorative wrought-iron finial at the apex. Plain timber barge boards are used on the gables and eaves, except for the filigree barge board on the east gable. The tower incorporates deep, bracketted timber cornices and eaves. Cast-iron guttering and downpipes are also present. Tall polygonal cans are fitted to the stacks, with two circular replacements. Each gable apex has two-flue stacks, except for the west gable, which has a single flue, and the principal ridge, which has a four-flue stack.

The interior retains the original timber staircase. A rubble boundary wall remains, along with one rubble drum pier. Two droved ashlar pedestrian gate piers are present, featuring stop-chamfered arrises, pyramidal caps with moulded arrises.