KILMAHEW ESTATE, LODGES
ACCESS : All of these can be approached fairly closely, but subject to the following: one is a small ruined building entangled in vegetation; one is now little more than a pile of masonry; one is now a private home.
WEST LODGE : Upper Barrs Road.
This is a small unassuming building that remains only as a shell without a roof, doors or windows. It is entangled with vegetation, but the gate posts survive albeit with modern pallisading gates and provide an alternative route into the estate on foot.
SOUTH LODGE : Carman Road.
This too was quite small and unassuming. It sat to the immediate west of the surviving gateposts. Dereliction and vandalism including a fire "necessitated" its demolition. It is now only recognisable as the scant remains of rubble.
The gateposts remain albeit with only modern pallisading type gates. This is currently the main route in on foot into the estate.
MAIN LODGE / BLOOMHILL LODGE & GATES : Carman Road. Listed "C".
Few realise that this imposing lodge and great iron gates were part of the Kilmahew Estate, but we must immediately qualify this. Bloomhil house further up the drive is itself rather grand and considered historic. In recent years it has lain empty since vacated as a care home and that role too was how it spent its later years having ceased to be an elegant home. Bloomhill was built in about 1838 for Alexander Ferrier - along with these gates and lodge.
We need to be cautious when claiming it as Kilmahew's "Main Lodge", but this is how it appears in the 1919 sales catalogue complete with a photograph with this label. Kilmahew House was designed by John Burnet 1865-8 for John William Burns - a totally different establishment, but somehow this lodge became included in the overall property up for sale at this time.
For more on the extraordinary auction of this extraordinary estate and accumulated properties, have a look at the catalogue on Canmore : https://canmore.org.uk/collection/2148818
