This photo taken around 1903 shows Rothesay Pier with many visitors dressed in their best, though the lady sitting on the bollard in not impressed as she is getting on with her knitting. Not much has changed along Battery Place, the buildings are easily identifiable...
Date: 19th c Description: A long thin piece of a needlework worked in wool with a design of stylized flowers in green, white and red. Along the top is embroidered ‘Grace Edgar 1 Alma Terrace Rothesay 22.11.1877’ Origin: Grace Edgar was born in Moffat on 13th July...
Description: Medal awarded by the Bute Farmers’ Society. This design was on the back of all the Bute Farmers’ Society medals. It shows what farming was like in the 19th century with the plough, haystacks, farm cottage and prize-winning cattle. Origin: The Museum has a...
Description: Medal awarded by the Bute Farmers’ Society. The back of this medal depicts a cottage, plough, haystacks and a prize-winning cow. Origin: One of a collection of medals given to the Museum. Farming medals give names to the people who were working the land...
Object: Carved Oak ChairDate: 19th centuryDescription: Solid oak chair with heavily carved back, with pierced fretwork in the Gothic style. This isone of a set of five chairs. A silver plaque on the back reads ‘Presented by the Marquis of Bute to theMagistrates of...
Object: Prison DoorDate: 19th CDescription: Door from Rothesay Jail. Following the demolition of the Tolbooth, the prison was situated besidethe County Buildings in High Street. Life was hard for a prisoner, who would be occupied in the activitiesof stone breaking,...
Object: Long case clockDate: 19th cDescription: Long case signed by Robert Smith, Irven. The dial is of brass and silver with brass spandrels. Thecase is pine. Robert Smith was working in Irvine in 1820.Origin: The clock was gifted to the Museum by the family of James...
Object: Pottery Container Date: 19th century Description: Pottery container inscribed ‘Mrs R Sharp, No 8 Laidside (sic) St, Rothesay’. These houses were demolished many years ago. Mrs Sharp’s daughter Janet married Alexander Stewart, the blacksmith at Ambrisbeg Smiddy...
Object: Customs Seal Date: 19th century Description: A brass seal with the words ‘Customs Rothesay Station’. The Custom House was in High Street in the building known as the Mansion House. Built in 1680 for George Cunningham, this was the largest house in Rothesay at...
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : Rothesay Castle This early photograph of Rothesay Castle was taken sometime before 1900. Between 1870 and 1900 the 3rd Marquess of Bute employed the renowned architect William Burgess to implement major...
Object: Photo Archive Date: 20th century Description : Miniature Train at Ettrick Bay This photograph of the miniature railway at Ettrick Bay was taken in 1938. After the withdrawal of the electric tram service to Ettrick Bay it was felt by the Rothesay Tramways...
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : Craigmore Pier The pier was constructed in 1877 of iron, but this corroded so badly that the pier was closed and sold in 1888. The iron piles were replaced with wooden ones and the pier reopened to...
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : West Bay c. 1881 This early postcard shows Argyle Street and Argyle Place long before the Pavilion was built. The old Rothesay Academy building is on the hill and Queen’s Hotel can be seen as well as the gap in...
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : Rothesay Pier showing cab rest c.1888 (P03-2710, B13.38)
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : A drawing of Rothesay Tolbooth with the Mercat Cross in its original position. The Mercat Cross that can be seen today at the corner of High Street and Stuart Street is a replica and was erected there...
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : St Blane’s Chapel photographed before the restoration work undertaken by the 3rd Marquess of Bute (P03-3573, B29.022)
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : Bridgend Secession Church, Bridgend Street. Built in 1836 and then becoming the United Presbyterian Church in 1850 and the United Free Church in 1900. It was demolished in 1908. (P03-2585,...
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : View over Rothesay from Bush Farm (P15-0053, B29.077)
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : View over Rothesay from Barone Hill showing cotton mill chimneys (P03-2369 B12-55)
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : Dobbie’s catalogue for 1895 showing spring bulbs available for that season (P11-0057, B85-081)
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : James Duncan 1796-1874 This gravestone can be seen in the graveyard in High Street and is the last resting place of James Duncan who was born at Ardnahoe Farm on the 16 January 1796, but left the...
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : Thomson’s poulterer’s shop was situated on the corner of Montague Street and Bridgend Street, the site now occupied by a hairdressers. It became better known as Annie Jeffries shop selling both fish...
Object: Photo Archive Date: 19th century Description : The topping out ceremony of the Post Office in Bishop Street in 1896. No health and safety in sight.
Object: Carved Oak Box Date: 19th century Description: An elaborately carved wooden box presented to John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, Marquis of Lorne containing his Burgess Ticket. It was presented to him on October 30th 1874, declaring him to be a ‘Burgess...
Object: Presentation Quoit Date: 19th century Description: A silver-plated presentation quoit (one of a pair). Quoits was a game played using heavy metal discs which were thrown at a spike set in a square of moist clay. These quoits bear the inscription ‘Presented to...
Object: Mauchline Ware Pincushion Date: 19th c Description: A Mauchline Ware pincushion. The manufacturers of these little wooden souvenirs were always on the lookout for special wood to make their wares very desirable. In the case of this little pincushion, the wood...
Object : Mauchline Ware Brooch Date: 19th Century Description: A wooden brooch depicting Rothesay. Mauchline Ware souvenirs came in all shapes and illustrations. The manufacturers were always on the lookout for wood from a special tree that could make souvenirs unique...
Object: Volunteers Badge Date: 19th Century Description: Large brass badge inscribed ‘Port Bannatyne Volunteers’ with a crown and thistle engraved in the middle. In May 1803 war was declared between Britain and France. Four companies were raised within the county of...
Object:Pharmacy Items Date: 19th century Description : 3 items once used in a Bute pharmacy. The pill rolling machine made rows of little round pills. The cachet machine produced flat capsules enclosing a dose of unpleasant medicine. The round box contained wafer...
Object: Wallpaper at Woodend House (Kean’s Cottage) Date: 19th century Description : This trompe l’oeil wallpaper decorated the drawing room of Woodend House for many years. The house known locally as Kean’s Cottage on the shore of Loch Fad was built for Edmund...
Object:Kerrycroy Date: 19th century Description : The original cottages at Kerrycroy were built 1805/06 to house estate workers with the English Arts and Crafts houses added in the 1880s to create a model village including green and maypole to make Gwendolen, the...
Object:View from Chapelhill House Date: 19th century Description : This photograph was taken in 1872 and shows the coffer dam built to enable the draining of the land to reclaim the area to be used for the new Esplanade. The money was raised mostly from...
Object: Gatehouse Date: 19th century Description : These two thatched cottages called The Gatehouse stood on the Plan Road opposite the path down through the wood to Kilchattan Bay. From 1889 one of the cottages was occupied by the Fisher family, their son...
Object: Ascog Hall Fountain Date: 19th century Description : Ascog Hall was built in 1844 by the Rev. James Monteith before being acquired in 1856 by Robertson Buchanan Stewart. His son Alexander Bannatyne Stewart inherited it on his father’s death and spent...
Object: Castle Street Date: 19th century Description : This photograph shows that there have not been many changes in the building in Castle Street though the steps outside the Burgh Buildings have disappeared. These were built at a cost of £4000 and housed the...
Object: The Red Shed Boatyard Date: 19th century Description : The boatyard was started by three brothers, James, John and Thomas Fyfe around 1856. It was situated on the shore side of Ardbeg Road just opposite the large red sandstone house at the end of the...