Swan Pond Cottage, Culzean Castle

Swan Pond Cottage, Culzean Castle Estate, Ayrshire

Dating from the late 18th century through to the late 19th century, with later additions, this outstanding group of estate buildings was purpose-built for rearing and housing waterfowl. The complex forms part of the internationally significant ornamental landscape of Culzean Castle Estate and represents the epitome of Regency taste, combining Gothick, Classical and Chinoiserie styles. The survival of the complete group is extremely uncommon.

SWAN POND

Designed by the landscape designer Thomas White of Retford and his son Thomas White the younger, and created in two phases in 1790 and 1816, with further refurbishment in 1903, the Swan Pond is an irregularly shaped artificial pond of 13 acres. A bridge crosses the inflow burn at the southernmost tip. An outflow sluice sits at the north-west corner. Near the south-west bank, an artificial island — approached by causeway stones — contains the geese house. A retaining wall with parapet and broad steps occupies the south-east bank.

RETAINING WALL AND BOAT STEPS

Dating from 1903, this is a low curved wall with square piers flanking boat steps leading down into the pond. The piers are surmounted by urns on square pedestals. The construction is cement-rendered concrete.

SWAN POND BRIDGE

Attributed to the architect Robert Lugar and dating from around 1816, this is a single flat-arched footbridge to the south of the pond. The arch features vermiculated voussoirs (that is, dressed stones carved with a worm-like texture). The low rubble parapet is finished with lime harl and slab coping. Other dressings are in ashlar, and the deck is laid with flagstone pavement.

SWAN COTTAGE

Designed by Robert Lugar and built in 1816, Swan Cottage is a single- and two-storey ornamental estate cottage arranged on a flattened octagonal courtyard plan in the Cottage Ornée style. At its centre is a two-storey octagonal core with a pyramidal slate roof. On the north-east face is an open-sided prostyle porch with a pitched roof, featuring a Tudor arch opening at the front and pointed arches to the sides. Verandas supported on square timber columns flank the porch on either side, terminating in pavilions with arched open fronts — these open-fronted pavilions were probably intended as places for plucking fowl. Single-storey wings splay back from the main block to enclose a courtyard to the south-west.

The building is constructed in rubble in a manner reminiscent of the Cotswold tradition, with ashlar dressings. The porch is built in tooled ashlar. First-floor windows are timber-framed casements with double pointed arch astragals, set in square apertures with roll-moulded surrounds. Ground-floor windows to the north are timber-framed, set in biforate pointed arch apertures with columnar stone mullions. To the sides and rear of the cottage, double casement timber-framed windows have diagonal glazing bars. The chimney stack is in ashlar, composed of two diagonally set square shafts. A photograph dating from 1959 held at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland shows the cottage with a different chimney stack, which was altered during stonework repairs carried out in 1990 to 1991.

Interior (as inspected in 2010): the ground floor of the cottage is now used as a shop, with late 20th century plasterboard walls, plain cornices and a ceramic tile floor. The north-west wing contains stores and a scullery for the shop, and the original roof beams remain visible. The south-east wing is arranged as an open-plan dwelling, supplemented by the octagonal room. The upper storey has a coombed ceiling and is reached by a steep, narrow staircase.

The building appears as "Pheasantry at Cullain" in Robert Lugar's book Plans and Views of Ornamental Domestic Dwellings, confirming it must have been designed before the book's publication in 1811, though it was not built until 1816. The published plan shows Lugar's strict geometrical control of elements arranged around an octagonal court. The executed building includes an additional floor, giving the cottage an upstairs bedroom. The Aviary, which completes the courtyard with a west range, is larger than the published version.

AVIARY

Designed by Robert Lugar and built in 1820, the Aviary is a single-storey, twelve-bay, rectangular-plan building in a hybrid Gothick-classical style, forming the south-west range of the Swan Cottage courtyard. The south-west elevation is articulated by Doric pilasters and fenestrated by a glazed timber ogee arcade. Survey drawings made by Ian G. Lindsay around 1950 reveal that this arcade was originally a framework for wire mesh before being glazed. The construction is rubble with an ashlar front to the south-west. The pavilions at either end have pitched slate roofs. The rear north-east elevation facing the courtyard is plain, with a simple timber door.

Interior (as inspected in 2010): a corridor runs along the south-west side, with cages of timber and mesh on the north-east side. Public lavatories have been installed in the end pavilions.

GEESE HOUSE

Attributed to the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa and built in 1882, the Geese House is a low, single-storey building on an octagonal plan, situated on an island at the west end of the pond. It contains an octagonal central courtyard with a tree growing within it. Seven of the eight sides feature three pointed arch apertures; the remaining side has two square apertures. It is built in brick with an ashlar facing and covered by a sloping slate roof. The design continues the octagonal theme established by Swan Cottage and the Pagoda; a version on a square plan was also drafted at the time.

HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT

The Swan Pond was originally designed for the 10th Earl of Cassillis by Thomas White of Retford as a habitat for wild and domestic fowl. It was subsequently rebuilt and enlarged to take in the whole of the old Cow Park for the 12th Earl — who later became the 1st Marquess of Ailsa — probably with the advice of Thomas White the younger, during 1814 to 1816. Swan Cottage, serving as a dwelling with poultry houses in its wings, was built at the time of the pond's enlargement. The Aviary was completed around 1820. The 3rd Marquess of Ailsa had the Geese House built on the island in the 1880s, and was responsible for refurbishing the pond with the retaining wall and Boat Steps between 1900 and 1903. An associated icehouse is located to the south-east of the pond and is separately listed.

Robert Lugar (1773–1855) was a successful architect to the gentry during the Picturesque era, specialising in Gothick and Cottage Ornée idioms. His works include Balloch (now Ardoch) Castle (1809) and Tullichewan Castle (1808), both in Dunbartonshire and in the castellated style. His published works helped spread the Cottage Ornée style across the British Isles. Several buildings at Culzean were either designed by him or drew on his published designs, including Swan Cottage, Hoolity Ha' Lodge and bridge, and probably the Swan Pond Bridge and the Pagoda. Three lodges he designed at Pennyglen, Glenside and Morriston were demolished in the 1950s for road widening. Lugar also designed lodges and other buildings for the 1st Marquess of Ailsa at St Margaret's, Twickenham and at Isleworth during the same period.

Thomas White (1736–1811) was a pupil of the landscape architect Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, the influential advocate of naturalistic designed parkland. White established his own practice in County Durham, advising country gentlemen on estate improvement. From about 1770 he made frequent visits to Scotland and was involved in the landscape design of numerous estates, including the grounds of Airthrey (now the University of Stirling campus), Buchanan Castle, Champfleurie and Scone Palace, as well as Culzean. His son Thomas (1764–1836) continued the practice after his father's death, carrying out further work at Culzean.

Culzean Castle has been associated with the Kennedy family since the Middle Ages, and was gifted by Gilbert the 4th Earl of Cassillis to his brother Thomas Kennedy in 1569. In the 1660s the barmekin around the tower house was breached to create terraced gardens, orchards and a walled garden, while the caves beneath the castle were fortified as secure stores. Culzean became the principal family seat when Sir Thomas Kennedy (1726–75) became the 9th Earl of Cassillis in 1759. The 10th Earl began rebuilding the castle to designs by Robert Adam, work continued by Archibald (1770–1846), the 12th Earl and later 1st Marquess of Ailsa. From around 1810 he commissioned numerous practical and ornamental structures, engaging several important architects and landscape designers to embellish the grounds. The 3rd Marquess undertook the modernisation and enlargement of the castle in the 1870s. In 1945, the 5th Marquess divided the property, making over the castle and its immediately surrounding policies to the National Trust for Scotland.

Together with the outstanding ornamental landscape of the wider estate, Culzean Castle is acknowledged as the epitome of the Picturesque movement in Scotland and a work of international importance. Culzean was at one time the largest estate in Ayrshire.

The Swan Pond complex forms part of a listed group at Culzean Castle Estate that also includes: Culzean Castle; Castle Walls and related structures; Fountain Court and related structures; Ruined Arch and Viaduct; Stable Block and related structures; Camellia House; Cat Gates; Home Farm; Powder House; Ardlochan Lodge; Dolphin House; Hoolity Ha'; Swan Pond Ice House; Walled Garden; Bathing Complex; Water Works; Shore Boat House; Battery and Mast House; Main Drive Walls and Piers; and Gas Works.