Post Office, 10-12 Bishop Street, Rothesay, Rothesay, Argyll and Bute

Entry Name: Post Office, 10-12 Bishop Street, Rothesay

Listing Name: 10 and 12 Bishop Street, Post Office

Listing Date: 23 March 1997

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 391463

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB44808

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200391463

Location: Rothesay

County: Argyll and Bute

Town: Rothesay

Electoral Ward: Isle of Bute

Traditional County: Buteshire

Tagged with: Architectural structure

Description

Dated 1896. Symmetrical 2-storey, 6-bay gabled Baroque style post office with single storey, 2-bay gabled pavilion to outer right. Sandstone ashlar to principal elevations, bonded brick to rear. Raised base course; architraved string and cill courses; corniced eaves; splayed pediment above balustraded parapet. Fluted Ionic pilasters at ground; simple Doric pilasters at 1st floor. Architraved surrounds to windows (shouldered at 1st floor); projecting cills at ground; carved pediments with anthemion detail above 1st floor windows set in continuous foliate frieze; bi-partite windows with stone mullions.

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 2-leaf timber panelled door to centre at ground; plate glass fanlight set in architraved surround; flanked by part-fluted pilasters on raised plinth. Segmental-arched pediment over with inset foliate carving. Large single windows at ground in 2 bays to left and right of entrance; single door at ground in bay to outer left; fanlight set in architraved surround and flanked by part-fluted pilasters. Single window at 1st floor aligned above entrance; bipartite windows in bays to left and right; single windows in remaining bays. Pedimented scrolled gable centred above parapet, "AD 1896" embossed in frieze, armorial panel set in chamfered surround, flanked by Ionic pilasters, consoled keystone beneath with inset anthemion carving and urn-shaped finials.

PAVILION: single storey pavilion to outer right comprising 2 bipartite windows at ground; scrolled gable centred above; flanking urn-shape parapet finials; inset circular detailing; flanked by fluted pilasters; raised keystone beneath and round-arched pediment over with tympanum relief and ball-shaped finial.

Border-glazing at ground; 4-pane upper, plate-glass lower timber casements to main block at 1st floor and pavilion at side. Graded grey slate roof; corniced ridge and apex stacks, circular cans.

INTERIOR (not reviewed 2011, information from previous list description of 1996-7): part-glazed timber vestibule door; glazed counter within.

Statement of Interest

10 and 12 Bishop Street is a well-detailed Baroque Post Office building. The building remains relatively unaltered, and includes prominent architectural detailing such as the scrolled central pediment with a large armourial panel. The building is comparatively richly detailed for its location within a relatively small town and this is characteristic of the high quality later 19th century developments in Rothesay which was an important holiday destination during this period. The town displays a number of well-detailed buildings, including commercial and residential buildings, particularly in close proximity to the pier and seafront promenade.

Rothesay is one of Scotland's premier seaside resorts, developed primarily during the second half of the 19th and the early 20th centuries, and it incorporates an earlier medieval settlement. The town retains a wide range of buildings characteristic of its development as a high status 19th century holiday resort, including a range of fine villas, a Victorian pier and promenade.

The history and development of Rothesay is defined by two major phases. The development of the medieval town, centred on Rothesay Castle, and the later 19th and early 20th century development of the town as a seaside resort. Buildings from this later development, reflect the wealth of the town during its heyday as a tourist destination, and include a range of domestic and commercial architecture of a scale more often found in larger burghs. Both the 19th and early 20th century growth of the town, with a particular flourish during the inter-war period, included areas of reclaimed foreshore, particularly along the coast to the east of the town and around the pier and pleasure gardens.

(List description revised as part of Rothesay listing review 2010-11)

External Links

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