28 Portland Road, Kilmarnock

28 Portland Road, Kilmarnock

This is a 2-storey and attic pair of semi-detached Gothic villas, possibly designed by Robert Samson Ingram of J & RS Ingram in the late 19th century. The building comprises two adjoining rectangular-plan properties (Numbers 28 and 30) with lower rear wings and later additions.

The principal north elevation presents a unified 3-bay facade in dressed red Ballochmyle ashlar with a roll moulded base course, chamfered arrises, and drip sills. The ground floor features a central bay containing three plinthed engaged Corinthian columns with contrasting red stone shaft rings. These columns support arched brackets with shield stops and a moulded canopy with a canted 3-sided porch roof. Timber panelled doors within architraved surrounds sit beneath this porch element. Above on the first floor sits a slightly recessed bay with gabled buttresses, containing a shared bipartite arched window with chamfered arrises and a shaft-ringed mullion supporting an arched hoodmould with a decorative roundel at its centre. A corbelled cornice supports a battlemented parapet with a stepped triangular pediment to the centre featuring shield detail.

The outer bays feature slightly advanced bipartite windows to the ground floor. To the first floor, corbelled 3-sided canted bay windows with corbelled cornices support battlemented parapets, each with a stepped triangular pediment to the centre with shield detail. The gablehead above contains a shouldered window to the centre with stepped putts aligned to the upper angles, an arched arrowslit to the gablehead, and a heavy square-based finial supporting a ball, which terminates in a pair of smaller spiked balls.

The east elevation is a gable end with a window to the ground floor left, partially concealed by a rear 1½-storey extension shared with the adjoining property.

The south rear elevation shows differing treatments of the two adjoining units. Number 30 to the left contains a former door partially hidden by a later lean-to at ground floor level, with a window above on the first floor and a stair window to the first floor right, partially obscured by a shared 1½-storey extension. An additional shared lean-to extends further to the rear. A 3-sided canted dormer window serves the attic of the main house. Number 28 to the right mirrors Number 30 but without the later lean-to covering the yard.

The west elevation is a gable end with windows to both storeys at the extreme left. To the right, an ashlar door surround with a rectangular pediment and cornice formerly provided access to the rear yard, now bordered by a blind coursed rubble wall. A glazing lean-to roof covers the yard and adjoins a blind wall of the rear 1½-storey extension.

The coursed sandstone sides and rear elevations contrast with the ashlar front. Skew gabling features plain skews and squared kneelers throughout.

Windows are predominantly 2 and 4-pane timber sash and case windows on the north, east, and west elevations. The rear contains 6 and 10-pane lying pane timber sash and case windows, with shouldered 4-pane windows to the front attics. 3-sided canted timber attic dormers to the rear feature slated cheeks and piended roofs, containing 2-pane timber sash and case windows. Paired vertically positioned 2-pane cast-iron Carron lights appear on the rear elevation.

The roof is grey slate piended to all areas, with a paired band of arched slates to the porch roof. Metal ridging, flashing, and valleys are present, along with cast-iron rainwater goods to the front elevation. Behind the battlemented parapet, guttering is concealed with a stone skew forming a hopper cover. The rear elevation displays varied material and style of rainwater goods. A long low gablehead stack with old render covering its construction material has had its cans removed. A tall shared yellow brick stack serves the rear wing, featuring a stone neck cope and 6 plain yellow cans.

Internally, panelled doors, skirting boards, some fire surrounds, and timber staircases survive. Original stained glass margins are present to the landing rear windows. The coursed sandstone construction of the sides and rear contrasts with the red ashlar of the principal elevation.