Carmelite Monastery, Helenslee Road, Dumbarton

Burnet, Son & Campbell of Glasgow, architects. Built 1890.

Large asymmetrical villa, in Arts & Crafts tradition, Scots

Baronial details. 1 & 2 storeys, set on slope, with basement

raised at south and at west. Stugged and snecked red ashlar

with contrasting yellow ashlar dressings. Modern additions

and alterations to east wing virtually obliterate former

service quarters. North elevation: outer gabled ranges with

roof between swept over ground floor; east wing (approach

through high garden wall), cat-slide roof carried over canted

and swept-eaved porch at left. Irregular fenestration, mostly

single or bipartite windows with roll-moulding; transomed

4-light window and swept-roofed dormer to inner bay, cross

window in left re-entrant angle with strapwork decoration in

tympanum; off-set at basement level, curved angles to gabled

blocks corbelled to square above ground floor. Crowstepped

gables; coped stacks; red tile roofs. Conical-roofed

corbelled circular, 2-storey south west angle turret.

South elevation: single ground floor windows all transomed, 2

in advanced gable at right, below canted and corbelled oriel;

others with pedimented heads; blind, off-centre, segmental

basement opening: 2 inner 1st floor windows with pointed

dormer heads (with later lowered cill at right breaking cill

band): cill bands to inner bays. West elevation: ground floor

bipartite below relieving arch corbelled at left, strapwork

decoration to tynpanum; covered forestair at left to ground

floor; canted, corbelled and margined oriel above breaks

eaves.

Interior: much partitioning in 1930's by Carmelites. Stair

with simple chamfered balusters; chapel (formerly L-plan

drawing room) retains 3/4 panelling, Jacobean chimneypiece

and coffered ceiling with consoles supporting beams.

Garden wall extends to north from porch, with red fireclay

ridging tiles, raised above segmental-arched opening. Garden

enclosed by rubble-built, ashlar-coped walls; rendered square

gatepiers.