Mauchline, Gavin Hamilton's House

A late-17th century three-bay, two storey town house, which was extended to the south around 1760 and further altered in the early 19th century. L-shaped in plan, it is constructed from harled masonry with crowstepped gables and exposed dressings of red ashlar sandstone. Adjoined to the late-medieval Mauchline Castle (Abbot Hunter's Tower, LB14471) by an early 19th century pend, the pair of buildings once formed a single residence. During the 18th century the house and castle were the residence of Gavin Hamilton, a close friend and early patron of the poet Robert Burns.

The front (west) elevation of the earliest phase of the house is three bays and roughly symmetrical with a later off-centre red brick chimneystack. There is a single-bay segmental-headed pend, with a small first floor window, leading to a moulded doorway in the north elevation of the house and a 17th century stone forestair serving the first floor of the castle and displaying carved stonework to the nosings. The rear (east) elevation of the 17th century house is blank.

The south elevation of the house is abutted by the 18th century wing, which was extended and raised around 1800. There is a piended roof to the east end. The front (north) elevation of the 18th century wing is four bays with a doorway to the re-entrant angle, which has engaged pilasters and a pro-style Tuscan Doric portico. The gabled east elevation is single-bay with crowsteps and misaligned windows. The rear (south) elevation faces Mauchline Old Church and churchyard. It is four bays and is abutted by a large grave marker. The west elevation is two bays and contains a timber door with flush panels and rendered rybats.

The roofs are slated and predominantly pitched with replacement rainwater goods. There are ashlar red sandstone crowsteps, skewputts and chimneystacks with tapered clay cowls. The window openings have rendered flush margins, some of which are exposed ashlar red sandstone. The windows are mostly twelve-pane timber sash in case and largely date from the early to mid-19th century but the glass is generally replacement. There is a six-light replacement timber casement and an eighteen-pane fixed light to the south elevation of the 18th century wing.

There are rubble boundary walls, in red sandstone to the south, and squared rubblestone to the north. The southern entrance has ashlar red sandstone gatepiers with ball finials, cast iron gates and curved flanking walls.

The interior was not seen (2017) but according to Davis (1991) it incorporates the vaulted remains of an earlier ancillary building, which may be contemporary with the adjoining late-medieval Mauchline Castle (Abbot Hunter's Tower, LB14471).