Braehead, 32 Vennel Street, Stewarton

Braehead, located at 32 Vennel Street in Stewarton, is a distinctive building from the late 18th century and early 19th century. It features a unique combination of a former farmhouse and a Classical villa. The northern section, known as 30 Vennel Street, is a symmetrical, two-storey, three-bay structure with a roughcast exterior and painted margins. It has a cornice and a later gabled central entrance porch with a glass and timber door. To the right, there is a later gabled projecting extension, and on the far right, a gabled former byre with two dovecot openings in its gable. The building predominantly has 12-pane timber sash and case windows, a roof covered in grey graded slates, raised skews, ridge tiles, and corniced gable stacks with decorative cans.

Inside, as seen in 2008, the original room layout is mostly intact, featuring a staircase with decorative iron balusters and a timber handrail, along with some simple decorative cornicing.

The southern section, known as Braehead House, is also symmetrical, constructed with ashlar on the south side and coursed rubble on the sides. It has a base course, cill course, and cornice, with four giant Doric-style pilasters separating the bays on the south side. The central porch has Doric columns, a cornice, and a stepped blocking course, leading to a panelled two-leaf timber door with a rectangular fanlight and a glass and timber inner door. The flanking ground floor windows are set in recessed segmental-arched panels with narrow blank windows beside them. This section also features predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case windows, a piended roof with grey slates, and coped wallhead stacks with decorative cans.

Inside Braehead House, as observed in 2008, the fine interior retains its original room layout and showcases good decorative features, including a curving staircase with shallow treads, fine metal balusters, a timber handrail, decorative six-panel timber doors, and timber shutters.