General view of 14-26 Russell Street and 19-23 Mill Street, Rothesay, Bute, from W

Description General view of 14-26 Russell Street and 19-23 Mill Street, Rothesay, Bute, from W

Date 21/5/2012

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

Catalogue Number DP 139573

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Rothesay was an industrial town and commercial port long before its expansion due to tourism. The earliest industries set up to take advantage of the water supply from the Water of Fad, and in 1779, Scotland's second cotton mill was established in Rothesay by James Kenyon. A number of small mills were established, basing themselves around Barone Road, Russell Street and Mill Street. The focus for the town's industry remains in this vicinity today. This three-storeyed, red sandstone tenement stands on the corner of Russell Street (right) and Mill Street (left). Dated 1877 and with a monogrammed panel on each street beaing the initials 'MR' (Mill Street) and 'TR' (Russell Street), its building was supervised by local industrialist and philanthropist Thomas Russell. Built in the Scots Baronial style, Russell Street replaced Old Vennel as part of an improvement scheme supported by Russell. The tenement is highly decorated with crowstepped gables, thistle and ball finials, various intricately carved pediments above windows, and ornate cast-iron rainwater goods. Thomas Russell was a director of the ironwork firm of Walter McFarlane and Co, manufacturers of some of the finest cast- and wrought-ironwork across the globe. The family also supported the provision of improved housing within the industrial heart of the town, and Thomas presented the original octagonal bandstand on the Esplanade to the town in 1873.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1304804

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap