The Knowe, 24 Queen's Drive, Glasgow

The Knowe, 24 Queen's Drive, Glasgow

A classical villa dating to circa 1879, extended by Henry Edward Clifford in 1892 and subdivided into lower and upper dwellings by Gardner and Thomson in 1939. The building is a 2-storey, 4-bay composition set on ground rising to the north-east, with a garden fronting the street.

The principal south-west elevation features an off-centre advanced gable with a 3-light mullioned and canted window, flanked by a 3-light canted bay window to the gable and a tripartite window above. To the right, another 3-light canted bay window extends to form an open porch supported on a single column with a decorative foliage capital and carved corbels. The entrance comprises a 2-leaf panelled timber door to a small vestibule, with a later glazed entrance door and rectangular fanlight. A tripartite window occupies the 1st floor to the right, with a single light window to the left. The bay to the left was added in 1892 and is slightly advanced, with a tripartite window at ground level and a bipartite window above. The principal elevation displays moulded and lugged architraves to the 1st floor windows and timber brackets to the eaves.

The north-west elevation has a gable to the right with timber-framing on moulded brackets to the apex. Entrances are positioned centrally and to the left, with irregular fenestration and droved ashlar margins.

The north-east (rear) elevation shows a 3-light canted bay to the left with an entrance door and small window opening. An advanced gable to the right features a full-height canted bay, bipartite window at ground floor, and a 4-light window at 1st floor, with later harling to the apex. A return of the gable with an entrance and coal hatch was added in 1939. A tripartite window at 1st floor appears to the left, with later tripartite rectangular dormers above.

The exterior walls are constructed in coursed sandstone ashlar, squared, snecked and tooled, with ashlar margins to the rear and side elevations. A base course and ashlar margins finish the lower walls. Openings are spanned by flat arches, with stone mullioned bipartite and tripartite windows throughout; some windows feature projecting cills and bracketed cornices.

Windows are predominantly fitted with plate glass in timber sash and case frames with horns. The pitched slate roof is finished with wide corniced ashlar end stacks featuring decorative octagonal clay cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods complete the external services.

The boundary comprises squared and snecked low walls with chamfered ashlar cope, with a pair of square-plan gatepiers featuring dentilled pyramidal caps to the street frontage.

Interior (as seen in 2011):

The interior is characterised by plaster ceilings with decorative cornicing to principal rooms and later timber detailing. A geometric glazed tiled floor runs through the entrance vestibule and hall. The ground floor lounge contains an extensive oak mantlepiece on the east wall with carved overmantel, featuring carved side panels with bird detail to the base and an overhanging bracketed and moulded cornice. The walls are lined with corniced oak panelling, including corniced basket-arched detail on the north wall. The boarded timber ceiling is supported on corbelled timber beams. A timber dog-leg staircase to the east of the plan has turned balusters and carved newels.

The former billiard room, now kitchen, preserves an arched braced oak roof with carved arched purlins and a segmental arch to the bay window recess. An open well timber staircase to the attic floor stands at the centre of the plan, with a canted, columned and corniced timber screen. Panelled timber doors are set in moulded timber architraves throughout, with later ceiling roses added to some rooms.