Eskdale House, Crichton Royal Hospital, Bankend Road, Dumfries

Eskdale House is part of the Crichton Royal Hospital, located on Bankend Road in Dumfries. Constructed in 1907, it is a two-story and attic building with a rectangular, short-leg U-plan, composed of symmetrically grouped, crow-stepped gabled blocks. The building is constructed of bull-faced red sandstone with ashlar dressings, and features coped crow steps.

The south (garden) elevation has a slightly projecting four-bay centrepiece, featuring a canted window bay flanked by windows at ground level. There are four windows at the first floor, with a small, pedimented attic window above the centre bays. Lop-sided gables are topped with apex stacks to the flanking bays. To the outer right, a group of three windows is visible at ground level, with a pedimented window breaking the eaves above the centre window. A mirror image is present on the outer left, with a door now located in what was formerly a window bay.

The west (entrance) elevation consists of four bays, with a pitched roof returning as a gable over the two bays to the outer right. A door with a fanlight sits centrally, flanked by a window to the left, which has a stone canopy above. Windows are positioned on either side, and four windows are found on the first floor. A blind oculus is present at the gable.

The north (rear) elevation features three bays off-centre to the left, with the centre bay terminating in a wallhead stack. An advanced gabled bay is visible to the right, with a tall stair window. A taller gable is to the outer right, with an apex stack, and a single-story block abuts the building. An advanced gabled bay is present to the outer left, again with an apex stack, and a cast iron escape stair is located in the re-entrant angle.

The east (side) elevation has four bays similar to the entrance elevation, with a door located off-centre to the right. An additional single-story block abuts to the outer right.

The windows are timber sash and case, most with two panes in the upper sash and a single pane in the lower sash. The roof is covered in grey/green slate, with coped sandstone stacks and tall, octagonal, lead-capped ventilators. Cast iron rainwater goods are in place, along with more modern disabled ramps.

The interior of the building has not been inspected.

In 1905, a delegation from the Crichton Royal Hospital board, including architect Sydney Mitchell, visited asylums in Germany and subsequently Bangour and Kingseat asylums. In 1906, plans were drawn up for four villas—Annandale and Eskdale as closed villas, and Browne and Dudgeon as hospital villas for patients in the so-called “2nd department.” Eskdale House shares the same design as Annandale House, which is listed separately.