Burns Monument, Kay Park, Kilmarnock

Burns Monument, Kay Park, Kilmarnock

Robert Samson Ingram designed this monument in 1878–9, with Andrew Calderwood as builder. The statue of Burns was created by W Grant Stevenson. The building is a 2-storey T-plan Scottish Baronial museum topped by a semi-octagonal 2-stage tower with an angle turret and spire. It is constructed of bull-faced Ballochmyle red sandstone with polished dressings, and features a white marble life-size statue of Burns mounted on a red sandstone plinth.

The principal south elevation is the grandest façade, with a divided flight of steps ascending to a 1st floor balcony supported by columns with still leaf capitals. A large round-arched portico dominates the 1st floor, with a decorative head and crowstepped gable that shelters the statue. A door to the left accesses the ground floor return. Flanking the portico are 2-storey single bays with elaborately decorated angle piers, capitals, frieze and cornice, topped with a finialled balustrade. The central tower's 1st stage is broached with a haunched window to the centre, while the corbelled 2nd stage contains an arched window with the RB monogram below. The southwest face features a canted corner with a central arrowslit and horizontally placed paired arrowslits to the outer bays. A corbelled angle turret projects above the parapet, with a window to each face capped by a corbelled crowstepped gable containing arrow slits and a facetted spire.

The west elevation has a central single haunched bay with architraved surround at ground floor level, with a projecting sill course supporting a pair of large architraved windows with elaborately decorated mullion, angle piers, capitals, frieze and cornice at 1st floor, capped with a finialled balustrade. The tower's 1st stage is broached with a haunched window to the centre, and the corbelled 2nd stage contains an arched window with the RB monogram below. The northwest face is rock-faced with a Greek cross arrowslit to the centre, supported by an ornate sloped buttress, with a corbelled parapet surmounted by decorative battlements.

The north (rear) elevation displays 3 regularly placed bays with architraved surrounds at ground floor, with a projecting sill course supporting 3 large architraved bays with elaborately decorated angle piers, capitals, frieze and cornice at 1st floor, capped with a finialled balustrade. The tower follows the same pattern as the west elevation, with its 1st stage broached and haunched window, corbelled 2nd stage with arched window and RB monogram, and rock-faced northeast face with Greek cross arrowslit supported by an ornate sloped buttress and corbelled parapet with decorative battlements.

The east elevation comprises a central single haunched bay with architraved surround at ground floor, with a projecting sill course supporting 2 large architraved bays with elaborately decorated angle piers, capitals, frieze and cornice at 1st floor, capped with a finialled balustrade. The tower's southeast face follows the same treatment as the other faces, being rock-faced with a Greek cross arrowslit supported by an ornate sloped buttress and corbelled parapet with decorative battlements.

The 3-pane timber French doors on the south elevation at 1st floor are accompanied by 8-pane timber windows to other elevations, now boarded. The tower has 3-pane timber sash and case windows with arched heads and stained glass borders. The roof is of piended grey slate with banded fish scale detail and lead flashing to the porch and tower. There are no rainwater goods.

The interior was originally designed to house a museum and keeper's accommodation, but underwent alterations in the 20th century. The ground floor contains an entrance leading to a lobby with 3 rooms and a toilet. The 1st floor has 3 exhibition and museum rooms accessed by a door from the main stairs past the statue of Burns. A small room within the tower is accessed by a spiral stair in the corner of the turret.