Royal
Incorporation of
Architects in
Scotland

View from north west.

Threave House, designed in 1871 for Liverpool merchant, William Gordon, was the creation of architect Charles G H Kinnear (1830-1894), who formed half of one of Scotland's most prominent architectural practices - Peddie & Kinnear. Having first trained with David Bryce, Kinnear joined John Dick Peddie (1824-1891) in 1856. Peddie & Kinnear produced a great number of significant buildings throughout Scotland, including country houses, churches, banks, offices, hotels, hydropathic institutions, hospitals, schools and municipal buildings.

In the mid 19th century, houses by this practice formed part of the new thrust for national romanticism in architecture with references to forms found in the tower houses and castles of the Scottish Renaissance period. The Scottish Baronial style, which was characterised by asymmetrical elevations, corbelled turrets and crow-stepped gables, provided the semblance of fortified living on the exterior whilst insisting on the convenience and luxury of Victorian modern living on the interior.

At Threave House, Kinnear's familiar repertoire of Scottish Baronial details was adapted to an innovative plan, the main focus for which was the distinctive balustraded drum tower. The house is entered at the tower, from where there is direct access to the impressive main staircase - the most striking feature of the interior - which leads up to the principal rooms on the first floor, and family bedrooms on the second floor. At ground floor level are the nurseries, servants' accommodation and an adjacent single storey kitchen block.

RCAHMS holds a set of drawings of Threave House as well as for the stable block and gate lodge. These drawings form part of the Dick Peddie & McKay Collection acquired in 1999 with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This collection of 33,500 architectural drawings document most of the commissions completed by the practice from its inception in 1844 through to 1970.

The images above show a small selection of the drawings of Threave House which can be consulted in the public search room from Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4:30pm. Click on an image to view the full-size version. Prints of all images can be obtained by contacting RCAHMS directly at info@rcahms.gov.uk quoting the name of the site or building, the SC number, the size and nature of each image required. A price list of services for photographs, digital images and other copies can be found under the price list page.

Garden Elevation, Peddie & Kinnear, 1871.
Paper, ink, watercolour. (SC697954)

Asymmetrical in composition, the garden elevation demonstrates a wide variety of architectural motifs typical of the fashionable Scottish baronial style, including corbelled-out turrets, crow-stepped gables and small shaped dormer gablets. The drum tower, also a form favoured by Kinnear's master, David Bryce, was modelled on the tower at the late 16th century Castle Fraser, near Huntly, Aberdeenshire. This drawing also displays in the upper right hand corner the signatures of the contractors who performed the building work.

Sections through house, Peddie & Kinnear, 1871.
Paper, ink, watercolour. (SC697955)

These sections reveal the inner construction of the house and also demonstrate how the architects dealt with the sloping site. The section to the left presents a clear view of the impressive main staircase and the disposition of the elegantly designed three-bay screens at the first and second floors. This drawing also displays in the upper right hand corner the signatures of the contractors who performed the building work.

Ground floor plan, Peddie & Kinnear, 1871.
Paper, ink. (SC697956)

This medium-sized country house provided the Liverpudlian owner, William Gordon, with a pleasant and comfortable holiday retreat for his young family. It was common for the nurseries, servants' quarters and services to be set on the ground floor and the public rooms to be placed on the first floor. The circular entrance hall located at the foot of the impressive drum tower gives access to the grand staircase.

Reversed view of plans, sections and elevations of gate lodge, Peddie & Kinnear, 1871.
Paper, ink, watercolour. (SC698103)

This is the only drawing which survives of this attractive gate lodge, designed in the cottage style with typical bargeboards and pitched timber porch. Ample space was provided in the upper storey where two additional bedrooms were set and for the added convenience of the residents, a coal house and privy were attached to the rear.

Reversed view of plans and elevation of stable block, Peddie & Kinnear, 1871.
Paper, ink, watercolour. (SC697952)

The symmetrically arranged stables, with a picturesque corner stair tower to the left of the entrance, offered comfortable accommodation for estate workers and at the same time provided the basics for country estate living, including a coach house, harness room, straw barn, stable, kennel, byre and poultry house. Of Scottish invention, 'copy reversed' was a special copying technique where thick ink was applied to the original drawing and a second piece of paper was laid over it to achieve a copy, albeit a reverse copy.