Cairnsmore

Cairnsmore is a symmetrical Classical mansion house dating to circa 1740. The main house is two storeys with a raised basement and attic, and is five bays wide, with single-bay wings projecting to the flanks. The exterior is of painted rubble, with the east elevation harled. Red sandstone dressings and some polished granite are present, alongside concrete surrounds to the east elevation. A sandstone eaves cornice and granite rusticated quoins feature. The roofs are piended, and the house is topped with shouldered corniced wallhead stacks to the north and south, linked to the piended roofs. A tall brick shaft is part of the north wing's stack. Dormer windows, some canted and piended, and smaller flat-roofed dormers are set into the west roof pitch, with three rooflights on the east pitch.

The west (principal) elevation is dominated by a granite columned portico with a cornice and blocking course, centred at ground floor level. A double-leaf panelled door is within, with a Y-traceried fanlight above. Sweeping granite steps, with a simple wrought-iron balustrade, lead up to the door, with windows set into the returns under the steps. Regularly placed windows are arranged across the front, including a small window at first floor level and smaller basement windows. Sandstone keystoned round-arched architraves with impost blocks frame the ground floor windows, while granite margins define those at first floor and basement levels. The flanking wings are slightly recessed and incorporate later sandstone full-height canted windows. A lean-to former coach-house is recessed to the outer left, with a sandstone round-arched carriage opening, now partially boarded to conceal a modern garage door.

The north elevation includes a small blocked window and a lean-to addition beneath the eaves. The east elevation has a French stair window at ground floor, linked to the foundations of a former wing, now a garden, by a timber bridge; further windows are positioned to either side. The basement and first floors of this elevation are divided into five bays with regularly disposed fenestration, and a basement door is centrally placed. A bipartite window and a door are found in the left wing’s basement, along with two windows. A lean-to is attached to the outer right, featuring a round-arched opening with double-leaf boarded doors. Two oculi are visible to the left, the upper one being larger.

The south elevation includes a later window above the wing. A round-arched window with impost blocks is notable at ground floor level. A modern glasshouse is attached at basement level to the left. Most windows are sash and case, with larger plate glass glazing, including some four-pane and small-pane examples.

The interior features Gothick detailing on doors. A bell, suspended from a framework of granite pillars, is located on the east side and is inscribed "Kirkmabreck 1835". The foundations of a former substantial wing extend to the east, now landscaped as a garden, and timber game-larders are situated adjacent. The property is approached through two pyramidal-capped square granite gatepiers with an iron gate.