35 Shore Road , Skelmorlie
Photo Source: 1. shuma.org.uk 2. 1910 Ordinance Survey 3. Facebook: Photo from Skelmorlie & Wemyss Bay in their Heyday.
| Owners | Dates | Alterations |
|---|---|---|
| Circa 1860 – 1861 | Built. | |
| David & Margaret Dunn | 1862 – 1897 | Alterations in 1895/6. Architect John Keppie*. |
| Mrs Jason Dunn | 1897 – Unknown | |
| Elizabeth Scott and children | Unknown | |
| Henry Boot & Son | 1962 | Annet House/Shuma demolished and replaced with 30 flats/maisonettes. |
* Source: Dictionary of Scottish Architects design report. www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/
Research:
- There is no definitive public record of when Annet House, which previously stood on the site of Shuma Court, was built. However, we can approximate it to around 1860, on the basis that the house did not appear in the 1859 Ordinance Survey of Skelmorlie but David Dunn was registered at Annet House in the 1862 and subsequent county directories. Due to the short-elapsed time between build and ownership, it is highly likely that David & Margaret Dunn were the first residents of the house if indeed they didn’t commission it. Source: 1859 ordinance Survey, 1862 County Directory.
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Herbert Dunn
We do not know a huge amount about David & Margaret Dunn, other than he was a merchant in Glasgow before moving to Skelmorlie and died in late 1878 at Annet House. Margaret Bannatyne, his wife continued living at Annet House until her death in December 1897. We believe that David & Margaret had one daughter Mary Dunn who was born in Glasgow in 1834 and at least one son James. James Dunn (1833 – 1886) married Helen Turner (1842 -1917) and they had 6 boys and 7 girls and he was a fish merchant in Glasgow. The Rev. Herbert Dunn (see picture), born 1882, was James and Helen’s twelfth child. Herbert aged 9, is listed as living at Annet house with his grandmother, Margaret, at the time of the 1891 census. With the outbreak of WW1, Herbert enlisted in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in 1914 and in April 1915 was commissioned to 2nd Lieutenant. He died in the August of that year in Alexandria, Egypt of gastro-enteritis. His name appears on the Skelmorlie & Wemyss Bay war memorial. Source: Glasgow Necropolis and Skelmorlie & Wemyss Bay War Memorial.
- After David Dunn’s death, Margaret gifted in his memory, three tall stained-glass windows at the back of the Chancel in the enlarged South Church (1890) showing the Baptism of Christ, Christ in Gethsemane and the Ascension. They are the work of a Glasgow artist William Guthrie. Unfortunately, the inscription on the window is hidden behind the reredos. Source: Skelmorlie & Wemyss Bay (South Church), 1856-1956, Wm Newton Macartney.
- Following Margaret’s death, the listing we have for Annet House in 1901 and 1903 is for Mrs Jason Dunn. We can only assume that this is the wife of one of David & Margaret’s other sons. Source: 1901 County Directory and 1903 Slater’s National Directory of Scotland.
- After this point, there are very few public records. We understand:
- Annet House, latterly Shuma was so renamed in the 1930s by a lady believed to possess spiritualistic gifts for healing”. Source: Skelmorlie by W Smart 1968.
- William Clark of Annet Skelmorlie, Ayrshire, dies 13 March 1937. Note: We believe this is Annet House rather than Annet Lodge. Source: haine.org.uk/toms_wills.
- 1939: Annet House, residence and ground of 3.25 acres sold for £900. Source: The Scotsman–Sale of Skelmorlie Dwelling-House–Thursday 9th March 1939–Page 8
- Shuma was the Scott family home in Skelmorlie. The house was bought by Elizabeth Scott and she stayed there with her four sons and two daughters. Note: No associated date. Source: shuma.org.uk.
- In 1962, a survey (see below) of Annet House/Shuma was completed for Henry Boot and Son prior to the house’s demolition and the development 30 flats & maisonettes, now Shuma Court. Source: canmore.org.uk/collection/1593710.
Annet House