Alton House, Ailsa Hospital

Alton House is a substantial villa built in 1897 by Thomas McGill Cassels as patient accommodation for the former Ayrshire District Asylum, also known as Ailsa Hospital. The hospital occupies a 70-acre site and includes the main building from 1869, various ancillary buildings, and former ward blocks constructed from the late 19th century through the later 20th century. Alton House is situated separately from the other hospital buildings within a wooded area on higher ground to the west.

The villa is a large, nearly square-plan building with gabled ends, extending over three stories. The main southeast-facing elevation is symmetrical, featuring four bays and a glazed canopy supported by cast iron columns and brackets above the front door. It is constructed of ashlar with a pronounced angled base course and a first-floor string course incorporating downpipes. Paired mullioned windows are featured on the projecting outer bays of the principal elevation, and large, canted ground floor windows are present on each side elevation. The apexes of the gables have timber framing filled with render. The rear incorporates lower two-story service sections and a large metal escape staircase. A former entrance porch, now with an infilled doorway, is located on the two-story section of the south elevation.

The roof is slate, with overhanging eaves supported by timber brackets. The windows are timber sash and case, with a six-over-two glazing pattern to the main portion of the house and a four-over-two pattern to the two-story rear sections. Most of the rainwater goods are cast iron, with decorative conical vent caps.

During a 2018 inspection, the interior was observed. While the bedroom accommodation had been updated for modern use in the early 21st century, many original fixtures and fittings, mainly in the public rooms, remain. These include fielded panelling to dado height, large fireplaces with fluted columns, picture rails, and a dentil cornice. The ground floor corridor features fielded timber panelling with an integrated recessed bench. The enclosed staircase has bespoke timber handrails fixed to the walls and decorative brackets.