Ardencraig, Ardencraig Road, Rothesay, Bute

Ardencraig is an earlier to mid-19th century house, with later additions and internal alterations designed by Reginald Fairlie in 1935. It is a single-storey and basement building, originally 4 bays and of asymmetrical, classical design, later subdivided into separate flats in the late 20th century. The exterior is whitewashed harl with painted margins and strip quoins. A raised band course runs along the principal floor, and there is a corniced canted window at ground level, as well as a raised eaves course with dentilled detailing. Architraved and corniced window surrounds feature, along with projecting cills at the basement level. A projecting, pedimented, columnar entrance porch is a prominent feature.

The south-facing (entrance) elevation has five bays. Steps lead up to the entrance in the penultimate bay on the right. The entrance itself is composed of a two-leaf timber panelled door with multi-paned side-lights and a multi-paned fanlight, all set within an advanced doorpiece featuring flanking pilasters, Doric columns, a plain entablature, and a pediment. A single window is at ground level in the rightmost bay, a three-light canted window is in the bay to the left, and another single window is in the bay to the far left.

The east-facing side elevation has five bays. Canted windows with three lights are present at ground and basement levels in the far left bay and penultimate bay on the right. Single windows are located at both floors in the two recessed bays in the centre, and at both floors in the bay at the far right.

The west-facing side elevation features five bays with a single-bay lean-to addition to the far left, and a two-bay piended block recessed beyond. A modern door is set at ground level in the bay on the far right, with a nine-pane fanlight above. Four single windows are aligned to the left; the recessed block has a large bipartite window centred at ground level. A two-leaf timber door is located in the bay on the far right, with an opaque fanlight above it, and a single window above that.

Primarily, the windows are 12-pane timber sash and case windows. The roof is a piended grey slate roof with ashlar ridge stacks, corniced octagonal flues and decorative capped ventilators.

The interior includes a broken pediment over a glazed timber vestibule door with flanking multi-paned side-lights and a tripartite fanlight, a marble floor, timber dado panelling, detailed cornice work, and timber panelled doors. An Adamesque-style chimneypiece is found in the drawing room to the right of the hall.

The gatepiers are made of corniced, panelled ashlar, featuring raised base courses, consoled frieze detailing, and urn-shaped finials.