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Seafield House - Ayrshire

 

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It is always good to hear of fine old buildings which are rescued in the nick of time. SAVE, the organisation which concerns itself with protecting threatened buildings of architectural importance, highlights the story of Seafield House at Ayr, in its latest newsletter.

Seafield was built by Sir William Arrol, an engineer of genius who designed the world famous Forth Bridge. Its most prominent feature is the tall Italianate campanile, no doubt inspired by the similar one at Queen Victoria’s Osbourne House on the Isle of Wight. When Arrol died, the house became a maternity hospital, and generations of local people were born there.

The NHS moved out in 1991, and tried to demolish Seafield; this was turned down due to the building’s architectural and historic importance. Later, a fire gutted the interior, destroying much of the fine Victorian interior detail. Again, an application to demolish was turned down by the council. A friends group was launched to save this grand building, and SAVE became involved in the campaign to protect the shell of the house. The house was eventually purchased by a sympathetic developer, Mr Robin Ghosh, the son of a doctor who formerly worked at Seafield.

It just goes to show what a friends group can achieve!

Seafield House, Ayr