Victoria Villa, 41 Laigh Road, Beith

1874 (dated), built for Matthew Pollock (see Notes); subdivided 1982. 2-storey 3-bay L-plan villa with Baronial details and elaborate bargeboarding to gabled façade; overhanging, bracketed eaves. Stugged, squared and snecked grey sandstone; polished ashlar dressings; string course between ground and 1st floor; 'MP' carved on plaque above door; stepped hoodmould over plaque carved '1874' above 1st floor window.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: central door in roll-moulded surround with timber panelled outer door and letterbox fanlight; tripartite window to L; quadripartite canted bay to R with cast-iron brattishing. 1st floor windows gabled breaking eaves; central window; bipartite window to L, tripartite to R in advanced gabled bay.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: 2 gabled bays with tall central stair window; flanking pairs of 1st floor windows; single and 1 ½ storey and basement service range at right angles to R.

Timber plate glass sash and case windows (with later secondary glazing). Grey slates laid in diminishing courses; 4 corniced gable stacks with octagonal clay cans; tall stack with cans to service range. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: good original woodwork and plasterwork. Roll-moulded timber architraves to doors and windows; panelled shutters; panelled part-glazed inner door with brass doorplate; timber balustrade to scale and platt stair with Gothic fretwork; margin-paned leaded glass stair window; elaborate cornicing and ceiling roses to ground floor. Original chimneypieces replaced with salvaged early 20th century models; 1 original mahogany chimneypiece (see Notes) in former morning room with paired engaged columns supporting entablature with panelled frieze, panelled overmantel (flame mahogany to panels). Original fitted part glazed cupboards to morning room and drawing room.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATEPIERS: tall, coped random rubble wall bounding site; square piers to Woodside Road with centrally-raised caps; shaped, square piers to Laigh Road with pyramidal caps and ball finials (gates and railings late 20th century).