Oakhill, 12 Montgomerie Terrace, Skelmorlie

Oakhill is a two-storey villa designed by John Keppie in 1886, with additions made by R A Bryden in 1905 to the north elevation. The building is five sections arranged in a roughly rectangular plan with a stepped frontage to the west.

The sections are arranged from south to north as follows: a piend-roofed block advanced to the west with an octagonal turret at the south-west corner; a piend-roofed section oriented north-south with a balustraded timber porch to the east and a verandah to the west with a balcony above; a gabled block advanced to the west with a probably later two-storey bay-window to the west; an early twentieth-century section recessed to the west; and a slightly lower piend-roofed section also recessed to the west.

The building is constructed in squared, snecked, stugged red sandstone with polished sandstone ashlar dressings. It features a non-continuous string cornice to the west elevation and deep bracketed eaves with plain bargeboards. There are raised quoin strips, raised chamfered window margins, and decorative half-timbering on the gables to the west.

The east or entrance elevation has a two-leaf timber panelled folding door to a large early twentieth-century timber porch with stained glass lights and balustraded parapet. Above this is a tripartite mullioned window with flanking basket-arched windows, a gabled dormer to the outer left, and irregular fenestration elsewhere with various window sizes. The south side elevation features a timber Edwardian conservatory with a canted end on a sandstone base, a raised roof ridge, and a cast-iron finial, with a gabled dormer at first floor to the right.

The west or garden elevation contains a recessed section to the centre with a verandah and balcony in front, supported on a central decorative cast-iron post and scrolled stone corbels to the sides, with decorative cast-iron railings to the balcony. There are two three-leaf folding timber panelled doors to the verandah and a two-leaf glazed door to the balcony with a gabled dormer-head above. An advanced section to the right has a bipartite window at ground level and a two-storey three-light canted turret to the outer right with a ball-finalled octagonal piended roof. An advanced gable to the left of centre has a projecting two-storey three-light mullioned bay window. A two-bay recessed service wing to the outer left features a bipartite window at ground and basket-arched windows at first floor.

The windows are timber sash and case with various glazing patterns: plate glass to principal rooms on the west elevation, four-pane glazing to less prominent windows, border-glazed stained glass windows and some small-pane glazing to the east. The roof is graded grey slate with corniced red sandstone stacks featuring decorative red clay cans and cast-iron rainwater goods.

Interior features include half-glazed timber panelled doors to the inner lobby and entrance hall. The entrance hall is panelled to the dado with Mackintosh-style stained glass, a timber chimneypiece with a bevelled glass mirror in a timber frame above, and dentilled timber over-doors. A timber staircase with plain balusters rises to a galleried first floor landing. The drawing room has a timber chimneypiece with Adam-style decoration and a matching cast-iron grate, picture rail, Adam-style wall and ceiling friezes, and a compartmented ceiling. The sitting room features working timber shutters and a plain marble chimneypiece. The dining room has an Adam-style chimneypiece with a plain cast-iron grate, decorative ceiling frieze, and compartmented ceiling. Original pantry cupboards survive in the kitchen. Timber panelled doors are found throughout, with brass handles downstairs and timber knobs upstairs. Plain cornicing runs throughout the interior.

The boundary comprises a dwarf wall with intermittently-spaced piers linked with cast-iron railings, and ashlar gatepiers inscribed 'OAKHILL' in small roll-moulded panels. Garden terraces with sandstone steps lie to the front and side of the house.

A circa 1930 garage with rendered walls features half-glazed timber-boarded folding doors, a bargeboarded entrance gable, and depressed-arch windows to the sides.