Windy Hill, Kilmacolm


Windy Hill or Windyhill is a house designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and furnished by him and his wife, Margaret Macdonald, in Kilmacolm, Scotland. It is Category A listed and remains as a home in private ownership. Windy Hill is also the name of a hill in the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park which borders Kilmacolm.

History

The house was commissioned in 1900 by William Davidson, a provisions merchant, who was Mackintosh's friend and patron. Mackintosh not only designed the Art Nouveau-style house, but also, with Macdonald, its decor, furniture and fittings, including fireplaces, panelling, stained glass and lights. They also designed the garden. The house was completed and occupied in 1901. Job books and correspondence relating to the commission are held at the Hunterian Museum, who have made digital scans available online.
Walter Blackie and his wife viewed the house, with Mackintosh, before commissioning him to design Hill House.

Ownership

In 2014, the house's fifth owner, David Cairns, who had painstakingly sourced craftspeople to authentically restore it, placed it on the market for an estimated £3 million. After it initially failed to sell, there were calls to buy it for the nation, to ensure its preservation.