Seafield, Doonfoot Road, Ayr

Seafield, Doonfoot Road, Ayr

A 2-storey Italianate former hospital designed by Clarke & Bell with RA Bryden, built between 1888 and 1890. The main building comprises a 4-bay structure with a prominent 4-storey square-plan tower and a 3-storey wing to the north, which was roofless as of 2013. The construction is coursed sandstone ashlar, polished to margins, with a V-jointed base course featuring channelled rustication on the principal elevation, and V-jointed channelled rustication to the ground floor of the remaining elevations. The design includes architraved openings with corniced consoles to the ground floor of the principal elevation, dividing band courses, an eaves course, strip quoins, and overhanging eaves supported on timber modillions.

The principal south elevation is asymmetrical across four bays. An engaged square-plan tower slightly advances at the penultimate bay to the right, featuring a bipartite window to the ground floor and a single window to the first floor. The tower displays bipartite windows to each elevation of the second floor and a deep cornice between the second and third floors with modillion detail. The third floor of each elevation contains a round-arched tripartite window with a sandstone balustraded apron. The tower is crowned with a shallow pyramidal roof and weathervane finial. A circular turret adjoins the north-west angle with irregular fenestration, narrow openings to the top floor enclosed by a balustrade, and a conical truncated roof with cast-iron brattishing. A square-plan open porch sits at a re-entrant angle to the right, featuring shouldered openings, a balustraded parapet, and a balustraded sandstone staircase with lamp standards leading to a panelled two-leaf timber door in the right return. An iron stair lies to the east of the porch, with a spiral iron stair ascending from the porch roof to the top floor of the tower. A tooled tablet reading "WA" appears on the first floor above the porch. The penultimate bay to the left shows slightly advanced positioning, with a bipartite window to the ground floor and a window to the first floor. The outer left bay is also slightly advanced, displaying a bipartite window to the ground floor and a window to the first floor.

The east elevation is asymmetrical across five bays. A single-storey bay advances at the ground floor of the centre bay, with a doorway to the left return corniced with consoles enclosing a decoratively tooled panel reading "1888", flanked by a small window and a tripartite window. A tripartite window appears to the first floor above. The remainder of this section is obscured by harled additions from 1952. The penultimate bay to the left is slightly advanced, featuring a shallow rectangular tripartite window with a balustraded parapet to the ground floor and iron steps leading to a first-floor bipartite window. The stepped-back bay to the outer left contains a bipartite window to the ground floor and a tripartite window to the first floor. The penultimate bay to the right displays a bipartite window to the upper storey. A flat-roofed addition advances at the ground floor of the bay to the outer right, with a tripartite window to the centre, a four-light canted window to the right return, and a bipartite window above.

The north elevation is asymmetrical across three storeys and seven bays. A tripartite window appears at the centre of the ground floor with a bipartite window above, and two single windows on the second floor with a balustraded balcony. An iron stair is positioned to the left. A blind tablet appears on the ground floor to the left of a two-bay right return, with bipartite windows to the remainder. A two-storey three-bay block is recessed to the right, with the centre bay advanced featuring a tripartite window to the ground floor and a bipartite window above. The remainder displays regular fenestration. Irregular fenestration appears on the ground floor of the three bays to the left, with regular fenestration to the upper floors.

The west elevation is near-symmetrical across five bays. A four-light canted window occupies the centre of the ground floor with a balustraded parapet, flanked by windows to the left and right. Four windows rise to the first floor above. The bays to the outer left and right are advanced, featuring tripartite windows to the ground floor and bipartite windows to the first floor. An iron stair leads to the first floor of the bay to the right.

The majority of window openings are boarded, though some plate glass timber sash and case windows remain. A piend grey slate roof to the north features terracotta ridge tiles, although the majority of the house is roofless. Panelled and coped sandstone wallhead stacks are present. Cast-iron rainwater goods complete the external details.

The interior was not inspected as of 2013. The building was damaged by fire in 2005.