21 Russell Street, Rothesay, Bute

This is a near-symmetrical terrace of three two-story, with attic, flat-roofed houses, likely dating to the earlier to mid-19th century, around 1840. The group value of the terrace is noted. It was rehabilitated in 1985. Numbers 17 and 19 each have three bays, while number 21 has four bays, with three return bays facing Union Street (also known as Colbeck Place). Red brick external staircases lead to the first-floor flats at the rear of numbers 17 and 19; an internal staircase serves the first-floor flat at number 21.

The houses are predominantly constructed of red rubble sandstone with heavy cement pointing; raised margins are painted at ground level on the Union Street frontage. They have a raised base course, and the openings feature tooled long and short rubble surrounds with projecting cills. Extensive stone repair was undertaken at ground level to number 21 on the Russell Street side, and the rear elevation is finished with harl-pointed random rubble.

The north-facing (entrance) elevation of numbers 17 and 19 has timber panelled doors centered on the ground floor, each with an opaque-glazed, six-light fanlight. Single windows flank the entrance at ground level, with regular fenestration above. Three-light, canted dormers are positioned in the outer bays to the left and right, and two single rooflights are centrally located. Number 21 has a timber panelled door at ground level in the penultimate bay from the left, again with a six-light fanlight. Single windows flank the entrance at ground level. A blind bay is located at the far-right ground floor, with regular first-floor fenestration.

The west-facing (Union Street) elevation of number 21 features a centrally located timber panelled door with a six-light fanlight, and single windows at both floors in the outer left and right bays.

The south-facing (rear) elevation has decorative cast-iron balustraded stairs leading to the central first-floor entrances of numbers 17 and 19, with replacement doors and tripartite fanlights. The elevation is regularly fenestrated at ground and first floor levels in the flanking bays. A replacement door at ground level in the bay to the outer left (rear of number 21) is accompanied by a single window above. Single windows are placed at both floors in the re-entrant angle to the left, and a further single window at both floors is situated in the bay to the right.

Replacement 12-pane timber sash and case windows are present on the Russell Street frontage, while the rear has replacement two-pane timber glazing. The roof is covered in graded grey slate, with raised skews and replacement rainwater goods. The chimneys are coped and rendered, topped with wallhead stacks and circular terracotta cans.

The interior was not inspected in 1996.

A low, coped random rubble wall runs along Union Street (Colbeck Place), incorporating a replacement timber pedestrian entry gate.