5, 7, 9 The Strand, Beith

This building, located at 5, 7, and 9 The Strand in Beith, dates from the earlier 19th century, with alterations made in the late 19th century. It is two storeys and has an attic, arranged over four bays. The front has three doors at ground level, set in irregularly spaced openings with stop-chamfered details and timber doors. The door on the left has a round-arched top section with small panes of glass and a letterbox fanlight above. There are three enlarged shop windows. Above these, the first floor contains four regularly spaced windows with raised sills. A central pediment sits above the building, topped with a corniced stack. Two dormers are positioned in the roof, each having a piended and gabled roof shape. The building is constructed from buff sandstone ashlar, featuring an eaves cornice and a blocking course.

The rear elevation is single-storey and attic, with a central stair turret, covered by a catslide roof. Windows are placed on either side of the turret, and two piended dormers are visible.

The shop windows on the front are now made of UPVC plate glass. The first-floor windows are UPVC tilt-and-turn units, replacing earlier timber sash and case windows that originally had four panes (likely originally twelve). The dormer windows are also UPVC, replacing timber sash and case windows with two panes, although the central dormer’s upper sash was formerly round-arched with a two-pane lower sash. The roof is covered in grey slates, and the apex stack has tall circular clay cans.

The interior of the building was not inspected in 2003.

The building is part of a group with the building at 9 Eglinton Street. It is prominently located on The Strand in Beith and has had its ashlar facade restored, having been previously painted. While the original glazing has been replaced with non-traditional windows, the central pediment, stack and cans remain important features, contributing to the distinctive local character of the town. The building is marked on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858.