Holmwood House

Success Story

Holmwood House is the finest and most elaborate residential villa designed by Alexander Thomson. It is also rare in retaining much of its original interior decor, and being open to the public.

The villa is located at 61-63 Netherlee Road, Cathcart in the southern suburbs of Glasgow.

Holmwood was originally constructed for James Couper, a paper manufacturer in 1857-1858. Couper owned the Millholm paper mill in the valley of the River Cart immediately below the villa.

Holmwood is considered to be immensely influential by several architectural historians, because the design as published in Villa and Cottage Architecture: select examples of country and suburban residence recently erected in 1868 may have influenced Frank Lloyd Wright and other proto-modernist architects.

Following an appeal, Holmwood was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland in 1994 with the support of £1.5million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. It was restored by Page \ Park Architects in 1997-1998. Their work included undoing the 1920s alterations and rebuilding the connecting wall.