Laurieston House
Date 4 February 1998
Event ID 887895
Category Management
Type Site Management
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/887895
Neo classical style house (originally built as two). Pedimented centrepiece of Eastern Terrace of Carlton Place, 3 storeys of ashlar, channelled at ground floor. Curved Doric portico with balustrade and doors with fanlights; rubble rear with projecting curved stair turrets.
Arguably the most ornate Georgian townhouse in the UK, the internal plasterwork is of outstanding quality, thought to be the work of Francisco Bernasconi who was brought to Britain by George III to decorate Windsor Castle. The decoration is in the Greek revival style - the first example of this in Scotland, probably influenced by the excavations at Pompeii and Herculenium. This house is perhaps the last great Glasgow merchant's house to survive largely unaltered in the city. (Buildings of Scotland - Glasgow by McKean, Riches and Walker).
Carlton Place was the showpiece river frontage of John Laurie's development of a high-class residential area, which he named Laurieston, to the south of the River Clyde. Laurieston House was the main feature of the terrace and was once the home of John Laurie and his brother David. (The Glasgow Story)
