Birken Hillock, Shore Road, Cove And Kilcreggan

Birken Hillock is a villa built after 1865, likely in the later 19th century. It is a two-storey, three-bay, gabled, rectangular-plan structure made of whinstone and sandstone rubble, featuring polished red sandstone margins and dressings. The building has chamfered reveals, a base course, pilaster strips, and raised cills.

The west elevation, which is the main front, has an asymmetrical three-bay layout with a single-storey service block recessed to the outer left. The gable is slightly advanced to the left, featuring a tripartite window at the ground level and a broad pointed-arch window on the first floor with timber mullions and transoms. To the right, there is a narrow two-leaf half-glazed vestibule door, and above it, a modern square wooden dormer. There is also a bipartite window at the ground right and another pointed-arch window on the first floor. The single-storey block to the outer left includes a tripartite window.

The east elevation has a three-bay design with a broad stair window located directly under the eaves, off-centre to the left. There is a window immediately to the ground right and another window at the ground level to the outer left. A single-storey half-piend block is situated to the outer right.

The main elevation features plate glass timber sash and case windows, while the rear elevation has 12-pane timber sash and case windows, including a 12-lying-pane stair window. The roof is covered with grey slate and has lead flashings, projecting eaves, exposed rafters, and timber bargeboards. A red sandstone corniced chimney stack with octagonal cans is also present.

The property includes gatepiers and a boundary wall, with ashlar gatepiers featuring sunken panels and pyramidal caps on fluted consoles.