Robert Burns Cottage, Alloway

Robert Burns Cottage in Alloway dates from 1757, with extensions made in 1808 and later alterations. It is a single-storey, seven-bay cottage with a near rectangular plan that is slightly curved. The walls are clay-bonded, harled, and whitewashed, topped by a thatched roof.

On the southeast elevation, there are square-headed timber entrances in the second, fifth, and sixth bays, while the remaining bays feature square-headed window openings with timber shutters, except for a narrow opening on the outer right. The northwest (rear) elevation has five bays, with a timber door in the penultimate bay to the left, flanked by single arrowslit openings, a single window in the penultimate bay to the right, and a small square opening on the outer right. The southwest (side) elevation has a recessed timber entrance door on the outer right of the gabled elevation. The northeast (side) elevation features a narrow central slit opening in the gabled elevation, along with timber sash and case windows and timber shutters.

The reed thatched roof has deep coping and a wooden ridge, with gablehead and ridge coped chimney stacks. Inside, the cottage has been reconstructed to reflect its original uses. The barn to the north was used for threshing and storage, while the adjacent byre served as living space for animals, including cattle, a pony, and sometimes sheep and goats, along with hens and cats that roamed freely. The adjacent North Room's use is uncertain but was likely a small byre converted into a combined store and milkhouse with additional sleeping space after William Burnes extended the cottage. The kitchen is located to the south and retains parts of a box bed and possibly original dresser shelves and doors, along with stone floors and fireplaces.

A stone boundary wall runs to the northwest of the cottage.