Hawthorn Cottage, 1 Polmont Road, Laurieston

Hawthorn Cottage is an early 19th century house that has undergone later alterations and additions. It is primarily of historic interest as the former home of Sir Alfred Nobel. The house is two stories tall and is possibly originally single storey, set back from the main road. It features a rubble construction with ashlar dressings, raised margins, and an eaves course, along with harled and brick additions at the rear. The windows are sash and case style with a 4-pane glazing pattern. The roof is covered with grey slates and has ashlar coped skews and stacks.

The front elevation includes steps with a wrought-iron balustrade leading to a central doorway, which has a panelled outer door and a half-glazed inner door. There are windows flanking the doorway, and at the first floor, a window in the outer bays breaks the eaves in gabled dormerheads with finials. An adjoining single-storey, piended addition on the east gable has a cat-slide roof over a projecting porch and features one small window with lying-pane glazing.

On the rear elevation, there is a central piended stair tower addition that is harled and has a tall round-headed stair window. The windows flanking this addition are similar to those on the front. Further additions to the right include a square block with a pyramidal roof linked to the east wing by a lower gabled block that has a door to the east. The property is enclosed by ashlar coped and rubble garden walls along the street, which are complemented by wrought-iron railings, gatepiers, and a gate with a delicate wrought-iron overthrow. At the rear, rubble walls enclose a large garden, which includes brick lean-to garages to the west.