Bute Museum, Stuart Street, Rothesay, Bute, Rothesay, Argyll and Bute

Entry Name: Bute Museum, Stuart Street, Rothesay, Bute

Listing Name: Stuart Street, Bute Museum

Listing Date: 24 March 1997

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 391610

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB44888

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200391610

Location: Rothesay

County: Argyll and Bute

Town: Rothesay

Electoral Ward: Isle of Bute

Traditional County: Buteshire

Tagged with: Local museum Independent museum

Description

A M McKinlay, 1925-6. Symmetrical 2-storey, 7-bay Palladian style museum comprising single storey pavilions flanking 2-storey pedimented entrance recessed at centre. Predominantly harled with grey sandstone ashlar dressings. Raised base course; raised cill course; corniced eaves (corbelled to pediment). Prominent quoins; architraved surrounds to openings; pedimented doorpiece.

N (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 2-leaf timber panelled door centred at ground; round-arched Georgianesque fanlight above; surrounding doorpiece comprising flanking pilasters, 6-light side-lights, narrow pilasters to outer left and right, full entablature, central pediment, plain tympanum. Single windows at ground flanking entrance; Venetian window centred in 1st floor apex comprising corbelled cill, decorative round-arched fanlight, raised architraved keystone. Single windows at ground in advanced bays to outer left and right.

10-, 12- 18- and 20-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate pitched central block; grey slate piended roofs to side pavilions.

INTERIOR: 2-leaf small-paned timber vestibule door; round-arched fanlight; single windows set at angles to right and left. Boarded timber dado panelling; original timber panelled doors; stair comprising mahogany handrail, cast-iron uprights, square-plan timber newels, carved ogee finials. Exhibition areas set in pavilions flanking central hall; metal struts to combed ceilings.

Statement of Interest

An impressive, classically-detailed museum with a good interior. The ABDA plans indicate that the project was comissioned by the Marquess of Bute. Overlooks Rothesay Castle.

Rothesay is one of Scotland's premier seaside resorts, developed primarily during the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and 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 sometimes 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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