Wilson Hall, Auchincruive

Wilson Hall, Auchincruive

Wilson Hall is a hall of residence designed by D S McPhail in 1955–56. It is a two-storey building with an attic, composed in an X-plan and styled in the manner of 17th-century Scots architecture. The exterior is harled with artificial stone dressings, and features a base course with raised margins and strip quoins. The attic windows break the eaves line, some with cat-slide or gableted roofs, while the building is topped by an eaves course and predominantly crowstepped gables.

The entrance elevation faces north-west and is symmetrical in composition. It consists of a seven-bay entrance block with curvilinear gabling, at the centre of which sits a slightly advanced entrance bay featuring a pilastered doorway with concave outer angles. Above the doorway is a balcony with iron railings dated 1955. The entrance itself is a two-leaf panelled timber door, with a two-leaf casement window to the balcony at first-floor level and a window to the attic floor centre. An arrowslit opening is set within the gablehead. The three flanking bays on each side have regular fenestration, with a curvilinear gableted window to the centre of the attic floor, flanked by windows with catslide roofs. Four-bay wings project at a shallow angle from the entrance block to the left and right, with regular fenestration to the ground and first floors, and windows with catslide roofs to the centre two bays of the attic floor, flanked by pedimented windows.

The south-west elevation is symmetrical and comprises nine bays. At the centre is an engaged canted stair tower topped by a candle-snuffer roof, featuring a four-pane window to the ground floor and windows between floors above. Two three-bay blocks angle away from the centre to left and right, with regular fenestration to the ground and first floors. The attic storey features catslide roofs to the centre windows, flanked by pointed-arched gableted windows. Blank shallow outer returns lead to recessed bays to the left and right with regular fenestration. Two-bay gabled returns stand at the far left and right, each with a window flanked by a bipartite window to the ground floor, irregular fenestration to the first floor, and broad bipartite windows with geometric ornament over the first floor. Arrowslit openings are set within the gableheads, and a flagpole rises from the right-hand gable.

The south-east elevation is symmetrical and contains a seven-bay centre block with a single window to the ground, first, and attic floors of the centre bay, the attic window featuring a curvilinear gablet and flanked by bipartite and single windows. Advanced gabled bays project at the penultimate positions to the left and right, each containing windows to all floors, with returns on the inner and outer sides. Bipartite windows flank the outer left and right positions at each floor. Four-bay wings project at a shallow angle from the centre block to the left and right, with a pair of doors in the inner bay at ground-floor level and regular fenestration to the remaining bays. The attic storey features pointed-arched gablets to the centre two windows, flanked by windows with catslide roofs.

The north-east elevation mirrors the south-west in composition: nine bays with a central engaged canted stair tower topped by a candle-snuffer roof. Two three-bay blocks angle to the left and right with regular fenestration to the ground and first floors and catslide roofs flanked by pointed-arched gableted windows to the attic storey. Blank shallow outer returns lead to recessed bays with regular fenestration. Two-bay gabled returns occupy the far left and right, each with a window flanked by a bipartite window to the ground floor, irregular fenestration and broad bipartite windows to the first floor, and arrowslit openings in the gableheads.

Throughout the building, the fenestration predominantly comprises twelve-pane and twenty-pane timber sash and case windows. The roof is finished in grey slate with a lead ridge and ventilators, and features coped skews. Cast-iron rainwater goods complete the external finish.

The interior had not been seen as of 1999.