General view of town crest inlaid in paving on Guildford Square, Rothesay, Bute, from W

Description General view of town crest inlaid in paving on Guildford Square, Rothesay, Bute, from W

Date 29/6/2011

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

Catalogue Number DP 105779

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. Guildford Square was originally much smaller, with a hotel and other buildings forming the other side of Montague Street taking up the southern half of the current square. However, a major redevelopment was carried out on the square in the 1990s, with the Bute Hotel and two banks demolished to create the open space seen today. During this redevelopment, a large bus shelter was erected on the seaward side of the square, with car parking on the Montague Street side. The central open space was repaved with a range of materials to create the town crest comprising castle (top left), anchor (bottom left) and chevrons (right). The square has been a natural stopping point for Rothesay's varying forms of public transport from the very first horse-drawn carriages, through the horse-drawn trams to the modern-day bus service. Lying directly opposite the ferry terminal, a large cast-iron glazed bus shelter also reflects the architecture of the former 'cabbies' shetler' which shelters passengers along Mid Pier.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1247885

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap