Springkell House

Springkell House is a medium-scale, tripartite-plan Palladian mansion dated 1734, with substantial additions made in 1818, possibly by Alexander Johnstone, and further remodelling around 1894 when it was converted into a shooting lodge. The house was originally built for the Maxwell family and later sold to J E Johnston-Ferguson in 1894. It was upgraded from a Grade B to a Grade A listed building on September 30, 1987. The main fabric of the building is yellow ashlar, with slate roofs.

The original house is two storeys over a basement, with a seven-bay South elevation dominated by a giant, pilastered centrepiece featuring Ionic pilasters that unusually rise from the basement. A pediment is raised above the wallhead, containing two semi-circular lights and a crest in the tympanum. A perron was added circa 1840. The central doorway and flanking windows are set within pilastered, round-arched panels with monogrammed tympana; other openings have architraves. Rusticated quoins are present, along with a cornice, and a roof balustrade, which may be contemporary with the later wings. The North elevation is plainer, with an advanced ashlar-built centre, the outer bays constructed of rubble. A square porch, possibly dating to 1818, and a heavy porte-cochere added circa 1894, are also prominent. A cornice and plain parapet complete the North elevation, with three axial stacks, the central one being transversely set and not original. The roof was originally platformed.

The wings are set deep on plan, recessed from the main front at the South, but boldly advanced to the North. They are single-storey with a basement. The South-facing elevation of the wings features three narrow bays (with an attic to the East wing), and a wider fourth bay projecting forward, with a window set within a round-headed panel, with urns over the angles. The North elevation has four bays. The West end elevation features a three-light bow near the South end.

The service court, also dating to 1818, consists of two parallel ranges adjoining the East wing and linked at the East. The upper floors were jettied out to the court circa 1894, incorporating casement windows and harling; the outer first-floor windows break through the eaves and have blocked cornices. A Doric-columned porch is located within the North-East re-entrant angle. Balustrades and piers define the North basement area and the South garden terrace, with architectural garden ornaments present.

The interior, largely dating to circa 1894, includes an oak-panelled entrance hall with marble-columned screens. The library, music room (originally a drawing room), and dining room, located within the West wing, are well-detailed. The design of the original house shows comparison with William Adam's House of Dun (circa 1728) and Cumbernauld (circa 1730).