Cambo House

Cambo House is a large, late-classic mansion house built in the late 19th century, dating from 1879 to 1881, with a tower added in 1884. It was designed by Wardrop and Reid and built for Sir Thomas Erskine, replacing an earlier house that was destroyed by fire in July 1878. The main block, measuring approximately 110 feet by 140 feet, is three stories high. The west front, the main entrance, features five windows, with a central bay projecting forward and topped with a pediment. A porch with coupled Doric columns leads to the front door, and above it is a tripartite window with Roman Ionic detailing. A lower three-story north wing extends from the main block, alongside a two-story section with access to a courtyard, and a three-story isolation wing topped with a tall clock tower. The south front features projecting two-story bay windows at each end and a central bay window. The east elevation has a pedimented design, with a single-story north wing attached. The house is constructed of stugged ashlar, with quoined angles and low-pitched, piended roofs covered in slate. The interior is simple, with noteworthy plasterwork in the drawing room and elaborately carved wooden chimney pieces. The design exhibits a conservative, near-Georgian style, which was remarkable for its time. It was built of Polmaise stone, and contemporary newspaper reports praised the absence of unnecessary ornamentation.