Dovecot, Treesbanks House, Ayr Road, Kilmarnock

The doocot, dated 1771, is a red brick structure situated on a ridge to the west of the stable block and house, on the edge of mature woodland. It has an eight-sided base and a rounded upper stage with the date '1771' formed in raised brickwork above the former entrance, which was blocked up sometime after 1971. A cogged or zig-zag brick string course, sometimes referred to as a rat course, is present between the two stages, and a dentilled course with regularly-spaced flight holes (two brick widths wide) runs around the base of the roof eaves. Some lower sections of the doocot have been part-rendered with concrete, with lines scored into it to mimic brickwork, and there is raised pointing to the lower brickwork, likely from historic repair work.

The doocot has a bell-cast roof partially covered in slates. Overhanging tree branches have created a hole in the roof, and ivy and vegetation growth are present on the brickwork and around the base. Small, uniformly sized holes are visible in the walls of the doocot above the rat course; these are consistent with historic images, while others represent later damage. The interior, visible through these holes, shows timber floor joists and blocked-up pigeonholes.

Treesbank was historically owned by the Campbells of Cessnock and their descendants. Roy's map of 1752-55 depicts Treesbarnes or Burnbank as a sizeable estate encompassing a house and designed landscape. The stables are dated to around 1770, with later alterations, and the doocot is noted as having an unusual octagonal plan. According to the New Statistical Account of 1845, the Campbells of Treesbank remained a principal landowning family, and the estate was described as having beautiful grounds and views. The doocot, stables, and an earlier mansion house are first shown in detail on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1857, and the doocot appears on subsequent Ordnance Survey maps. The previous listed building record, dating from 1971, noted the interior was used as a store, indicating the entrance door was blocked up sometime after that year. The estate was purchased by Glasgow Trades Council in 1975, becoming a recreational education centre, and was later sold in the 1990s. It is currently privately owned, with proposals for housing development on the northeastern part of the estate.