Windy Hill (also known as Windyhill) is a private residence situated on Rowantreehill Road in the village of Kilmacolm, Inverclyde, Scotland. The house was commissioned by the Glasgow produce broker and commission merchant William Davidson and constitutes the first major residential commission undertaken by the Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868–1928). Construction took place between 1899 and 1901, with the building’s start date commonly recorded as 1900.
Architectural design
Windy Hill is executed in a vernacular revival style that integrates elements of the Arts and Crafts movement and early Art Nouveau. The exterior is harled and slated, presenting a stark, asymmetrical west elevation and a more articulated east façade featuring an offset gable and a round‑ended, parapetted stair‑block. The design anticipates later Modernist developments, notably in its simplified massing and emphasis on geometric form.
Interiors
Mackintosh, together with his wife, the artist Margaret Macdonald, furnished and decorated the interior. The rooms are noted for their delicate, attenuated detailing, with custom furniture, textiles, and lighting fixtures that exemplify the Mackintosh aesthetic.
Heritage status
Windy Hill is listed as a Category A building by Historic Environment Scotland, denoting it as a structure of national architectural or historic importance. The listing recognises both the exterior architecture and the intact Mackintosh‑designed interiors.
Context and significance
Located on a prominent hillside overlooking Kilmacolm, the house reflects Mackintosh’s early exploration of residential architecture beyond his more widely known public commissions. It remains in private ownership and is occasionally referenced in studies of Mackintosh’s oeuvre as an example of his transition toward the streamlined, modern forms that would later characterise his work.
References
- DBpedia entry for Windy Hill, Kilmacolm (house, architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, built 1900, Category A listed).
- Kilmacolm Civic Trust description of Windyhill, noting construction dates 1899‑1901 and architectural features.
