23 North Hamilton Street, Kilmarnock

A terrace of five two-storey tenements built in 1882-1883, designed by Robert Samson Ingram of J & RS Ingram. The buildings are located on North Hamilton Street, Kilmarnock. They were originally intended to contain four flats within each of the five buildings. The facades are constructed of white glazed bricks with terracotta brick and stone dressings. The buildings feature central wall-head gables to both the central and outer tenements, decorative red brick detailing to the eaves and outer angles, and stone skew gables with corbelled red brick kneeler skewputts.

The principal elevation (east side) has a central entrance to each tenement, flanked by windows. Each entrance has a two-pane rectangular fanlight within a stone surround and a corbelled canopy. The first floor has three regularly spaced windows on each tenement. A decorative brick eaves cornice runs along the top of the buildings. The wall-head gables are raised and corbelled in a triangular shape. Number 27 remains largely to the original plan, while the others have been altered with additional windows: Number 21 has a small window to the right of the central bay on both floors; Number 23 has small windows to the flanks of the door and to the right of the first-floor central bay; Number 25 has a small window to the left of the door and to the right of the first-floor central bay; and Number 29 has a small window to the left of the door.

The south elevation is a blind brick wall with a gablehead stack.

The rear elevation (west side) is similar to the principal elevation, originally with a doorway in the centre, narrow windows to the flanks, and a window to the outer bay on both floors. Curved rear forestairs with decorative wrought-iron railings and a stone platform originally provided access to the first-floor doors. Some bays have since been altered, and small windows have been added.

The north elevation consists of a blind, originally white brick gable end, now harled, with a gablehead stack.

Originally, the windows were 12-pane timber sash and case windows, although many have been replaced with modern 2-pane sash and case windows and, increasingly, with PVCu double glazed windows. The fanlights above the four-pane timber panelled doors are two-pane timber; a modern door is located at Number 21. The roof is pitched grey slate with stone ridge tiles and aluminium ridging to the wall-head gables. Gablehead stacks are red brick with stone neck copes and four tall cans with splayed bases; one can is now missing from the north stack. Four red brick roofline stacks are present to the inner terrace, each with eight cans, some of which are now replacements. The shared stack at Numbers 23 and 25 has been lowered and harled with small cans.

The interior features white brick through the closes with side doors leading to the ground floor flats. Rear doors provide access to the rear stairs for the first-floor flats. Some timber doors have been replaced.