Ardmarnoch House

Lifeless at risk building restored to bright and vibrant home

Overlooking the shores of Loch Fyne, Ardmarnoch House had a become a grey and dreary property and had been placed on the ‘Buildings at Risk’ register for Scotland. Its ruinous state and isolated location had also made it a target for vandals, with damage sustained to fireplaces and balustrading etc. Although this is distressing it had been water ingress and the spread of dry rot which had destroyed much of the interior, particularly but not exclusively, to the Scots Baronial style wing.

Due to the Baronial section having previously been stripped of all finishes, leaving very little information for its rehabilitation, it was decided to seek permissions for its removal. This allowed us to fully focus on carrying out as faithful a restoration of the Georgian section as possible.

Extension

The removal of the Victorian wing did however leave the house short in accommodation and therefore through good design and negotiation we were able to satisfy both our client and local authority with a smaller more classical wing.

The single storey addition with pediment is designed to sit passively beside the original house in order not to detract from the original. It does however possess its own charm with a corniced eaves course and delightful Venetian window.

Plasterwork

The cornicing and plaster decoration throughout the building had been badly damaged in many areas. The surviving elements were carefully retained and repaired as necessary with some sections being carefully run by hand in-situ. One item of note is the starburst ceiling rose within the stairwell, only half of this had survived but has now been fully restored.

Fireplaces

The house contained some fine fireplace particularly those in the drawing room and dining room.

The drawing room fireplace of white marble had suffered damage to one of the figurines as the result of vandalism. This defacement was discreetly rectified and little sign of the repair can be observed today.

The intervention with the dining room fireplace is more obvious. It had previously had a brick built insert installed which was not quite in keeping with the original design. This was carefully removed without damage to the original marble surround and replaced with new slips of a more complementary nature.

Phase two: the Orangery

Following the successful restoration and extension of the property we were later commissioned by our client to design and obtain permissions for a further extension. This extension was to enable them to enjoy more fully the prominent position the house commanded over Loch Fyne.

Wishing to retain the classical identity of the property it was decided that an orangery would be the best addition to accomplish this goal. Ionic Pilasters were used to reflect those of the main entrance and heavy cornicing helped to tie the building back to the original.

Result

The completed form of the original and its additions, along with the vivid lime wash to the exterior, has elevated the house from drab to magnificent. This gives the visitor a sense of anticipation as they approach, and the interiors do not disappoint.

Project credits & thanks

• Client: Private
• Main Contractor: Archibald Fergusson Ltd
• Quantity Surveyors: Ralph Ogg & Partners
• Structural Engineers: Norris Belcher.