Garvock House Hotel, St John's Drive, Dunfermline

Garvock House Hotel, St John's Drive, Dunfermline

This substantial villa dates from the earlier 19th century, with significant additions made in the mid-19th, late 19th and late 20th centuries. The main building is arranged as a 2-storey structure with basement, built to a 3-bay rectangular plan. A mid-19th century wing extends to the north (with a late 20th century block attached), and a late 19th century wing projects to the south. The original block displays classical design principles, dominated by a pedimented entrance bay at its centre.

The principal (west) elevation showcases the finest detailing. The original block uses polished sandstone ashlar, while the 19th century wings employ finely coursed droved sandstone with ashlar dressings. The rear of the original block and the late 20th century addition are constructed in coursed rubble and ashlar with partial harling respectively. Base courses and eaves cornices run across the original block and 19th century wings, except to their rear faces. Architraved openings punctuate the principal elevation and the south and west elevations of the south wing.

The west elevation presents a symmetrical composition centred on a slightly projecting pedimented entrance bay. Steps lead to an open porch with an entablature supported on a pair of Greek Doric columns. The door is a 6-panel timber piece with a rectangular fanlight above. Windows occupy the remaining positions on each floor; those on the ground floor are corniced and adjoin a single-bay cill band, while first-floor windows sit above their own cill band. Flanking panelled angle pilasters frame the elevation. The 19th century wings are set back from this principal face: the left wing has a later glazed ashlar porch with Doric columns in its re-entrant angle, with windows to each floor and a 3-bay late 20th century addition set further back. The right wing has mullioned tripartite windows with cornices on the ground floor and bipartite windows above.

The south elevation is dominated by a 4-bay late 19th century wing to the right. Its outer two bays are single storey, while the left-hand bays feature a mullioned canted corniced quadripartite window at ground-floor level (with a further window above to each bay). A mullioned bipartite window breaks the composition between. A single bay of the original block sits set back at the outer left.

The north elevation is more complex. A late 20th century addition projects forward to the left, attached to the mid-19th century wing (one bay of which is visible set back to the right). The original block occupies the outer right, a 2-bay composition that formerly carried windows to each bay on both floors. The left-hand ground-floor window has been replaced by an entrance with a later glazed sandstone porch (as described for the west elevation), while the right-hand first-floor window is now infilled.

The east elevation shows the original block set back, with a short projecting wing at its centre. Single-storey outbuildings stand forward between the 19th century wings, with a late 20th century addition to the outer right.

Windows throughout are predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case type. Roofing comprises piended grey slate. The original block is crowned by coped triple wallhead stacks with wide central flues and polygonal flanking flues to north and south; the mid-19th century wings carry coped shouldered stacks to their east faces (the south-side stack is set back to the 2-storey section).

The interior retains fine plasterwork ceilings and fittings dating from the latter half of the 19th century. An open well staircase features turned timber balustrade beneath a square-plan cupola, lit by a painted glass stair window executed in Pre-Raphaelite style. The single-storey section of the south wing contains a notable large pilastered timber fireplace.

The boundary treatment comprises coursed sandstone rubble walling with rounded stugged coping along the east and part of the south sides. Two pairs of gatepiers mark the entrances: those to the main northeast entrance are square-plan in droved sandstone ashlar, chamfered at the angles, with friezes and ogee-like moulded caps crowned by squat finials (probably of later 19th century date). The southern pair are coursed droved sandstone, square-plan with band courses and pyramid caps, fitted with cast-iron gates.