Railway Tavern, 18 Smith Street, Ayr

The Railway Tavern, located at 18 Smith Street in Ayr, was built in 1897 and underwent alterations by J & H V Eaglesham in 1907. This three-storey, five-bay public house showcases a Baroque Freestyle design, featuring a circular corner bay that rises into a three-bay drum topped with an ogee dome. The building is constructed of red ashlar, which is painted at the ground level, and includes a base course, a string course at the fascia, cill courses, a cornice, and a blocking course. The first-floor windows are adorned with Gibbsian keystones and cornices.

On the southeast (entrance) elevation, the facade is arranged in a 1-3-1 grouping. It features a central doorpiece with Ionic half-columns, a two-leaf timber door, a fanlight, and flanking single windows, with an additional single window to the outer right and a timber door to the outer left. The first and second floors have regular fenestration, with a pediment above the central window on the first floor. The ground level includes a lozenge bay to the outer right, with single windows flanking a bipartite window at the center. Pilasters create consoles for the three-bay drum window to the right. The second-floor windows are corniced with long and short surrounds, and decorative consoles separate cartouche panels above. The building features broad eaves, an ogee dome, and a finial.

The northeast (Kyle Street) elevation consists of a single bay, with an Ionic half-columned doorpiece to the outer left, a timber door, a fanlight, and a single window to the left. This elevation also has regular fenestration on the first and second floors and a balustraded parapet.

Inside, the Railway Tavern boasts an elaborate cornice on the compartmental ceiling, foliate capitals on the pillars, keystones on the arches, and an ornate mutuled fireplace featuring a shouldered panel with a lion and the inscription 'Robori. Prudentia. Praestat.' The windows throughout the building are timber sash and case, with nine panes at the ground level and six panes on the first and second floors. The roof is covered with grey slate, featuring stone skews, coped stacks, and circular cans.