This compact late-eighteenth-century house retains the low-eaved proportions and painted rubble construction of Auchencairn’s earliest Main Street fabric.
Quick facts
- Date
- Late eighteenth century
- Architect / designer
- Architect and builder not recorded in the designation
- Type
- Two-storey three-bay house
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB17102)
- OS grid reference
- NX 79811 51399
Architecture and continuing use
The two-storey, three-bay front is built of white-painted rubble. A central entrance is flanked by paired ground-floor windows, while four-pane sash-and-case windows sit close beneath the eaves above. A slate roof, coped end stacks and an external forestair at the gable complete a building whose apparently simple front contains a particularly legible early domestic form.
Its story
Auchencairn grew around agriculture, a corn mill and links to the bay. Number 31 belongs to the group of older buildings near the former mill site. Its official record was substantially updated in April 2024 and notes that the principal elevation remains little changed and that domestic use continues.
Why it is included
It is a strong starting point for reading the scale, materials and prosperity of the village around the turn of the nineteenth century.
What to notice
- Upper windows pressed close beneath the eaves.
- The contrast between painted rubble and simple window margins.
- The external forestair attached to the gable.
Reading the surroundings
This is a private home. View from the public street without approaching windows, entering the close or disturbing residents.
Timeline
- Late eighteenth century A three-bay rubble house was erected near the former corn-mill end of the village.
- 4 November 1971 The building entered the statutory list.
- April 2024 HES updated the record after reassessing its survival and village context.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
No architect or exact year is known. The official point locates the designated building, but it does not define private access or ownership boundaries.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: 31 Main Street, Auchencairn, LB17102 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and significance.
- Auchencairn community website — Current community context for the village, its facilities and present local life.
- Trove search: 31 Main Street, Auchencairn — National collection search for site records, surveys, photographs and archive material.
Location
OS grid reference NX 79811 51399 · Location confidence: High for the current national designation point; public text separately states access, component-identity and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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