Aigas House

Aigas House is a large Scottish Baronial mansion dating from 1877, designed by Matthews and Lawrie. It fronts and partially incorporates an earlier house from the early 19th century. The mansion is constructed of tooled red rubble with contrasting tooled sandstone ashlar dressings. The building is arranged around a long rectangular plan, featuring a tall two-storey and attic main range which sits in front of the earlier house, and a square four-storey tower at the east gable. A particularly elaborate attic storey is also present. The round-arched entrance is located at the base of the tower, with moulded jambs and ballflower decoration. A stair turret rises above the first floor, incorporating a gabletted window and a slender conical roof. An oriel window is situated at first floor level to the left.

The southeast front is symmetrical, featuring full-height canted outer bays linked by a bracketed balcony below the central first-floor windows. The wallhead is corbelled, with angle bartizans. The attic gable windows have strapwork heads, along with decorative and finialled dormer heads. Two-pane plate glass glazing is used throughout, along with crowstepped gables, ornamental finials, tall coped stacks with octagonal flues and slate roofs. A stairwell projects to the rear, featuring a tall three-light window. Various rear service ranges are also part of the property.

The earlier house has had a corbelled wallhead and other Baronial detailing added in 1877. The interior is accessed via a principal entrance leading to a large stair hall, which rises two storeys. This hall contains an imperial staircase with turned wooden balusters, brackets with pendant newels, moulded door jambs, and panelled doors. The southwest drawing room (on the ground floor) includes a carved marble chimneypiece.

Aigas House was enlarged for Mr J G Oswald, a Glasgow shipping magnate. The former estate village of Crask of Aigas, located to the north of the house, previously included buildings such as a blacksmith's, post office, and laundry. Estate features, including rustic porches and decorative scroll bargeboards, have been retained at Crask of Aigas (found in Smithy and Druim Cottages, listed separately). Decorative bargeboarding was also used at Aigas Mains.