Carlton Turrets, 1 Craigweil Road, Ayr

Carlton Turrets, located at 1 Craigweil Road, Ayr, was designed by John Murdoch and built in 1879. Originally a Baronial-style school, it has since been converted for other uses. A single-storey and attic service wing was originally attached, but is now partially obscured by a modern building constructed in 1999.

The building is constructed of snecked sandstone rubble with crowstepped gables and terminating scrolls to the attic pediments.

The south-east elevation, the main entrance front, features steps leading to an entrance within a circular-plan tower on the right side. A timber door with a letterbox fanlight is present, along with a stepped labelmould over a blank plaque. Small single windows flank the door, with a single window above and two at the attic level. To the left, a crowstepped gabled bay has two ground-floor windows; a transomed and mullioned leaded window is above, with a single attic window. The adjacent bay, which is the penultimate bay to the left, has regular window placement. A tripartite window is at ground floor, a bipartite window at first floor, and a single attic window. A corbelled angle tower has a single first-floor window, and two attic windows with a finial. The single-storey and attic section adjoining to the right is partially obscured by the 1999 building.

The north-west elevation, the rear of the building, is eight bays wide, arranged as 4-3. The left section, a single-storey and attic bay, features regular single windows at ground and attic levels. The attic windows break the eaves to form pediments, with the central bay rising to a crowstepped gable. The remaining two bays to the left have regular single window fenestration at ground, first, and attic floors. A canted bay rises through the ground and first floors, with a single attic window within a crowstepped gable.

The south-west side elevation has two bays, with a corbelled angle tower to the outer right. This tower has single windows at the first and attic floors. An advanced ground floor bay to the right features a central mullioned window and canted sides, with two first-floor windows and a gablehead window above. A glazed timber door is at ground level on a harled bay to the left, with single windows at the first and attic floors.

The north-east elevation was not visible in 1999.

The building retains predominantly plate glass timber sash and case windows. It has a slate roof, with ridge and gablehead stacks and circular cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are also present. The interior was not inspected in 1999.

The site is enclosed by a boundary wall, with square-plan vehicular gate piers (with conical caps) to the left and iron gate piers and a gate to the right. A timber gate provides access to the rear of the property.