Fruitfield House, East High Street, Airdrie

2-storey, 3-bay, square-plan, symmetrical Italianate villa. Broad projecting, consoled eaves to hipped roof. Squared and snecked yellow sandstone rubble courses with ashlar margins. Long and short channelled quoins, base course, continuous cill course to 1st and 2nd storey windows, impost course to upper storey semicircular-arched windows. Coped wallhead stacks with scalloped frieze.

Built to replace the original Airdrie Provost's house, facing south across what was once the Provost's orchard. This otherwise typical pattern book villa is distinguished by an abundance of architectural detail to both the exterior and interior and for its historic orchard site close to the town centre away from the principal suburban villa areas of Airdrie. (Historic Scotland)

February 2008: External inspection finds the balustrades above the bay windows have been damaged. The building is understood to have been vacant for six years. Following a burglary two years ago, openings have been boarded over and CCTV installed.

June 2010: External inspection finds that the building remains derelict and in much the same condition as on our previous visit. An application for rehabilitation of Fruitfield House was lodged in 2009 ref: 09/00721/PREAPT.

15 December 2014: External inspection finds general deterioration evident. Window boarding is now missing in places, allowing wind and water ingress. The outbuilding is now in very poor condition. Condition moved to Poor and Risk to Moderate.

23 August 2019: A member of the public notes that a hole has developed in the roof of the attached single story outbuilding.

20 April 2023: Limited external inspection possible. The property remains disused. Since the last inspection the southern roof pitch to the single storey wing has had a partial collapse. Ground floor openings to the southern elevation are now blocked up. To the southern elevation, all upper windows are now open to the elements with birds seen entering the building. Dampness is an increasing issue to the bay windows, where algae growth is evident and the painted finish is now peeling. Vegetation growth is encroaching the single storey wing, and rubbish is accumulating within the wider site. Risk level raised to High given the loss of protection to more upper windows and gathering dampness to walls.

8 April 2024: A member of the public advises the building has been subject to fire damage. Live Glasgow news website reported (6/04/2024) on a fire at the site, photographs accompanying the article show the building is now roofless and the interior has been gutted. Condition moved to Ruinous and Risk to High.