Bute, Rothesay, Montford, General

This site falls within the Montford Area of Townscape Character which was defined as part of the Rothesay Urban Survey Project, 2010. The text below relates to the whole area.

Historical Development and Topography

As with much of Rothesay, Montford is mostly linear in form, with all but one cottage lying on the west side of the coastal road out of the town. The area is equally restricted by the surrounding topography, with the rocky Cnoc na Buachaille preventing expansion of the area to the west.

Plot sizes vary from fairly small units for the mid-19th century terraced and semi-detached houses of Montford Terrace and Nos 36-44 Craigmore Road in the southern portion of the area, to extensive garden grounds of the slightly later large detached and semi-detached properties as the area stretches towards the Craigmore Area of Townscape Character.

Earliest origins of the area are Burnside Cottage, which appears to date from the late 18th/early 19th century, and lies on the rural south-western edge of the area. Nearby Montford House at No 35 Craigmore Road and the associated Montford Cottage on the shore side of Craigmore Road both date from c.1850. The semi-detached houses of Nos 25 to 32 and detached No 34 Craigmore Road are also visible on the 1863 OS map. There has been very little infill, though Montford Terrace and Nos 36-44 Craigmore Road form part of an early 20th century redevelopment on the site of a cluster of cottages and other buildings, probably associated with Montford House. The reasons for this redevelopment are not clear, but it may be part of the continuing provision of housing for new residents or visitors to the town in the early 1900s.

There has been very minor infilling in garden plots in the 1960s and 1970s with a handful of bungalows along Craigmore Road. There is also a fine example of what appears to be a refurbished, but relatively unaltered, ‘Dorran’ concrete panel bungalow on Montford Terrace which dates from the late 1940s/early 1950s.

Present Character

Most of the original buildings still survive relatively unaltered in the Montford Area of Townscape Character. In particular, Montford House (No 35 Craigmore Road) and Montford Cottage are two of the earliest surviving building in the area. Both date from c.1850 and are good examples of their type – a large detached villa sitting in extensive grounds, with its associated lodge-style cottage nearby.

This small area is distinguishable from the neighbouring Craigmore Area of Townscape Character to the north and Ascog Area of Townscape Character to the south due to the concentrated nature of development at Montford Terrace and Nos 36-44 Craigmore Road. Probably built buy a local landowner or industrialist to accommodate workers in Rothesay, this cluster of terraced and semi-detached houses are plain and simple examples of early 20th century housing built for the middle classes, with large bay windows to both floors providing views across the bay and allowing light into the properties.

Montford is entirely residential in its function, relying on the main town of Rothesay for its day-to-day services. As a result, there are no associated social facilities such as shops, community facilities, schools and so on in the area to encourage people to linger, apart from a small shelter on the grassy shore for those wishing to take in the view across the bay.

Information from RCAHMS (LK), 23rd July 2010