Saracen's Head Hotel, 10-12 Eglinton Street, Beith

The Saracen's Head Hotel, located at 10-12 Eglinton Street, Beith, dates from the later 18th century, with alterations made around 1800 and in the late 19th century. It is a two-storey and attic, four-bay inn featuring a prominent central gable. Two doorpieces, positioned slightly off-centre and dating from around 1800, have pilasters and decorative quatrefoils above a corniced block. There are four windows on the first floor, with two further windows above the central gable. Late 19th-century piended dormers, with two windows each, are located on the left and right sides. The exterior is harled with painted window margins, a base course, and a moulded eaves cornice. The rear elevation is clad in modern corrugated metal.

The windows have been partially replaced with inappropriate uPVC frames at ground and first floor level, while the remaining windows retain their original timber sash and case glazing. A grey slate roof tops the building, and a corniced ashlar stack rises from the apex of the central gable, topped with three octagonal clay cans.

The interior contains few surviving original features, with the exception of a painted glass window in an Aesthetic style, located in the rear staircase around 1890.

Historically, Beith prospered in the mid to late 18th century through textile industries and illicit trade in goods like tea, tobacco, and spirits. The hotel may have been frequented by smugglers using the town as a refuge en route to larger centres like Paisley and Glasgow, possibly utilizing cellars located at the rear to store contraband.

The hotel's architectural significance is enhanced by its prominent and central location within Beith, terminating views from the Strand and its proximity to the town's historic heart, the Cross. It is similar to other buildings in Beith, including 14-16 Eglinton Street, 2-6 Reform Street, the Smuggler's Tavern (53-55 Main Street), and 26-30 Main Street. These buildings contribute to the town's distinctive character and strong townscape. The building is an important example of early construction in Beith, contrasting with the more common three-bay villa style of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The 19th-century dormers, constructed with traditional materials and in appropriate scale, also add to the building’s interest. The hotel is marked on the 1858 Ordnance Survey map and labelled as a 'hotel' on the 1910 revised edition.