Holmwood House
Encyclopedia
Holmwood House is the finest and most elaborate residential villa designed by
Scottish
architect
Alexander "Greek" Thomson
.
It is also rare in retaining much of its original interior decor, and being open to the public.
The villa is located at 61-63 Netherlee Road, Cathcart
in the southern suburbs of Glasgow
.
Holmwood is considered to be immensely influential by several architectural historians, because the design as published in Villa and Cottage Architecture: select examples of country and suburban residence recently erected in 1868 may have influenced Frank Lloyd Wright
and other proto-modernist architects.
Holmwood was constructed for James Couper, a paper manufacturer in 1857-1858. Couper owned the Millholm paper mill in the valley of the White Water of Cart immediately below the villa. The principal rooms of Holmwood were orientated towards the view of Cathcart Castle (demolished in 1980). The cost of the house was £2,608:4:11d; the stable, greenhouse & outbuildings cost a further £1,009:19:6d; and the gates an additional £75:2:0d
The polychromatic
decoration was designed by Thomson and executed by Campbell Tait Bowie. The most notable survival is in the dining room which has a frieze of panels enlarged from John Flaxman
's illustrations of Homer
's Iliad
. The sculpture on the hall chimneypiece was by George Mossman.
Holmwood was altered in the 1920s by the owner, James Gray. After World War II
it was purchased by a local vet, James McElhone and his family, wife Betty and children: Rosemary, James, Helen and Paul. Holmwood was then sold to the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions who obliterated much of the original decoration with plain paint. The gardener's cottage was demolished in the 1970s; the grounds and those of an adjacent villa were used for a Catholic primary school.
The nuns put the property on the market in the early 1990s, and there was a danger that the grounds would be developed for housing, destroying the setting of the villa. Following an appeal, Holmwood was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland
in 1994 with the support of £1.5million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund
. It was restored by Page and Park architects in 1997-1998. Their work included undoing the 1920s alterations and rebuilding the connecting wall. Patrick Baty
carried out the paint analysis.
issued a £20 note to mark Glasgow's celebrations as UK City of Architecture and Design which featured an illustration of the dome of Holmwood House, along with the Lighthouse building
on the reverse. The obverse side carried a portrait of Thomson.
, at North Walkerville
, Adelaide
. The house was built posthumously from Thomson designs published in Villa and Cottage Architecture: select examples of country and suburban residence recently erected by Blackie & Son Publishing
in 1868. This published work also included other Thomson designs, including his Romanesque
Craig Ailey Villa at Cove
on the Firth of Clyde
. Although Holmwood was based on Thomson's designs and closely resembles Holmwood House, modifications were made to the internal design making the room layouts significantly different.
Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Alexander "Greek" Thomson
Alexander Thomson
Alexander "Greek" Thomson was an eminent Scottish architect and architectural theorist who was a pioneer in sustainable building. Although his work was published in the architectural press of his day, it was little appreciated outwith Glasgow during his lifetime...
.
It is also rare in retaining much of its original interior decor, and being open to the public.
The villa is located at 61-63 Netherlee Road, Cathcart
Cathcart
Cathcart is an area of Glasgow between Mount Florida, King's Park, Muirend and Newlands. The White Cart Water flows through Cathcart, downstream from Linn Park....
in the southern suburbs of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Holmwood is considered to be immensely influential by several architectural historians, because the design as published in Villa and Cottage Architecture: select examples of country and suburban residence recently erected in 1868 may have influenced Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
and other proto-modernist architects.
Holmwood was constructed for James Couper, a paper manufacturer in 1857-1858. Couper owned the Millholm paper mill in the valley of the White Water of Cart immediately below the villa. The principal rooms of Holmwood were orientated towards the view of Cathcart Castle (demolished in 1980). The cost of the house was £2,608:4:11d; the stable, greenhouse & outbuildings cost a further £1,009:19:6d; and the gates an additional £75:2:0d
The polychromatic
Polychromatic
The term polychromatic means having several colours.It is used to describe light that exhibits more than one color. In a technical respect, this can also mean that it contains radiation of more than one wavelength. The study of polychromatics is particularly useful in the production of diffraction...
decoration was designed by Thomson and executed by Campbell Tait Bowie. The most notable survival is in the dining room which has a frieze of panels enlarged from John Flaxman
John Flaxman
John Flaxman was an English sculptor and draughtsman.-Early life:He was born in York. His father was also named John, after an ancestor who, according to family tradition, had fought for Parliament at the Battle of Naseby, and afterwards settled as a carrier or farmer in Buckinghamshire...
's illustrations of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
. The sculpture on the hall chimneypiece was by George Mossman.
Holmwood was altered in the 1920s by the owner, James Gray. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was purchased by a local vet, James McElhone and his family, wife Betty and children: Rosemary, James, Helen and Paul. Holmwood was then sold to the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions who obliterated much of the original decoration with plain paint. The gardener's cottage was demolished in the 1970s; the grounds and those of an adjacent villa were used for a Catholic primary school.
The nuns put the property on the market in the early 1990s, and there was a danger that the grounds would be developed for housing, destroying the setting of the villa. Following an appeal, Holmwood was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
in 1994 with the support of £1.5million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund
National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund is a non-departmental public body set up under the National Heritage Act 1980 in memory of people who gave their lives for the United Kingdom....
. It was restored by Page and Park architects in 1997-1998. Their work included undoing the 1920s alterations and rebuilding the connecting wall. Patrick Baty
Patrick Baty
Patrick Baty, is a British historian of paint and colour, who works as a consultant in the decoration of historic buildings.-Early years:...
carried out the paint analysis.
City of Architecture and Design
In 1999, the Clydesdale BankClydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank is a commercial bank in Scotland, a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group. In Scotland, Clydesdale Bank is the third largest clearing bank, although it also retains a branch network in London and the north of England...
issued a £20 note to mark Glasgow's celebrations as UK City of Architecture and Design which featured an illustration of the dome of Holmwood House, along with the Lighthouse building
The Lighthouse (Glasgow)
The Lighthouse in Glasgow, is Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design and the City. It was opened as part of Glasgow's status as UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999....
on the reverse. The obverse side carried a portrait of Thomson.
Holmwood, South Australia
A second 'Holmwood' was constructed in 1885 for the wealthy mining magnate, benefactor and politician, William Austin HornHorn Expedition
The Horn Scientific Expedition was the first primarily scientific expedition to study the natural history of Central Australia. It took place from May to August 1894, with expedition members first traveling by train from Adelaide to the railhead at Oodnadatta in South Australia, then using camels...
, at North Walkerville
Walkerville, South Australia
Walkerville is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It lies just north east of the city centre, about 4 kilometres from the Adelaide GPO.-History:Walkerville was named after Captain John Walker R. N...
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. The house was built posthumously from Thomson designs published in Villa and Cottage Architecture: select examples of country and suburban residence recently erected by Blackie & Son Publishing
Blackie and Son Limited
Blackie and Son Limited was a publishing house in Glasgow, Scotland and in London, England, from 1890 to 1991.The firm was founded in 1809 by John Blackie, snr. as a partnership with two others and was originally known as 'Blackie, Fullerton and Company'. It began printing in 1819 and was renamed...
in 1868. This published work also included other Thomson designs, including his Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
Craig Ailey Villa at Cove
Cove, Argyll and Bute
Cove is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.It is on the south-west of the Rosneath peninsula, on the east shore of Loch Long.Before the local government reorganisation in Scotland in 1975 it formed part of the small Joint Burgh of Cove and Kilcreggan, in the County of Dumbarton.In common with...
on the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
. Although Holmwood was based on Thomson's designs and closely resembles Holmwood House, modifications were made to the internal design making the room layouts significantly different.
External links
- Detailed history on National Trust for Scotland Education website
- Holmwood visitor details on National Trust for Scotland general website
- Alexander Thomson's Holmwood House Features renderings and photographs of Holmwood House.
- Photographs of Holmwood House, Glasgow