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General view of Victoria Street, Winter Gardens and Esplanade, Rothesay, Bute, from W

DP 101678

Description General view of Victoria Street, Winter Gardens and Esplanade, Rothesay, Bute, from W

Date 28/6/2011

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number DP 101678

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Rothesay grew up around the 13th-century circular Castle, becoming a royal burgh in 1400/1. The town expanded north along the High Street until two major phases of land reclamation in the 18th and 19th century. This shifted the main axis of the town along the shoreline, with the creation of Montague Street (mid- to late 18th century) and Victoria Street (1839-40). Subsequent development of the town took place along the shoreline, particularly as the town’s popularity as a tourist destination grew during the 19th century. The town centre has developed in a fairly ad hoc manner, as with so many historic towns. This has continued into the 21st century with redevelopment of historic buildings such as the Court House and other smaller infill. Following on from the second phase of reclamation, the Esplanade was developed as a pleasure garden for visitors in 1869-72. Built on the site of a former boatyard, this open area retains a series of paths running through and around it, with various flower beds, palms and other ornamental plants. In the distance can be seen the Winter Gardens, built in 1923-4 to designs by Walter MacFarlane & Co (Saracen Foundry) on the site of a late 19th-century bandstand. This large circular, domed building has square pagoda-roofed towers at the entrance, and is constructed from a cast-iron frame, with decorative Art Nouveau panels. The building demonstrates many of the fine architectural ironwork which teh Saracen Foundry was world-renowned for. The Esplanade was developed as an open space for visitors to the town to take the air, and have a bracing stroll alongside the shore. The bandstand which stood at the est end of the Esplanade had provided a focal point for a variety of outdoor entertainment for visitors to Rothesay. The construction of the Winter Gardens meant entertainment for visitors was no longer weather dependent. After falling out of use for many years, the Winter Gardens were refurbished and converted for use as a cinema in the late 20th century, and currently houses the town's Tourist Information Centre, being ideally located adjacent to the ferry terminal.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1239934

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap

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