26 Argyle Place, Rothesay, Bute

This is a late 19th-century, asymmetrical two-storey manse with a basement, built in 1894 and later converted into flats in the mid-20th century. The building is situated in Rothesay, Bute.

The manse is constructed primarily of coursed, stugged red sandstone with polished red sandstone dressings. A bull-faced red sandstone plinth runs around the base, topped by an architraved string course, and the eaves overhang with timber brackets. Raised quoins accentuate the corners, while raised, long and short surrounds frame the chamfered window openings, which feature stone mullions and chamfered cills. A full-height, engaged polygonal tower is set into the outer left side of the building, with harled faces and harl-pointed rubble at the rear.

The eastern elevation, which serves as the entrance to the ground floor flat, features a recessed entrance in the bay to the outer right, featuring a two-leaf timber panelled door and a round-arched fanlight. An architraved, round-arched surround, incorporating a raised keystone and a pediment above a projecting string course, completes the entrance. Above the entrance, an armorial panel displays the date "1894". A five-light canted window sits to the right of centre at ground level, while a flush tripartite window is set within the gable that breaks the eaves. Bipartite windows are present on both floors in the central bay. The engaged tower includes opaque-glazed bipartites on the basement level, and bipartite windows on each facet at ground and first floor levels.

The western, rear elevation, which provides access to the first-floor flat, has a projecting first-floor entrance to the left of centre, with a two-leaf timber door leading to a staircase. A nine-light stained-glass stair window is positioned behind the entrance, though partially blocked by a later addition. Below the stair are two small, single openings. A bipartite window is found at ground level in the bay to the outer left, alongside a single window at the first floor, offset to the right. A piended, single bay addition is set off-centre to the right.

The northern side elevation features bipartite windows on both floors in the bay to the outer right, a tripartite window at ground level, and a bipartite window aligned above. A blind bay appears on both floors in the bay to the outer left.

The southern side elevation includes a piended, single-storey addition recessed to the outer left, with a replacement single window at ground level in the advanced bay. A tripartite window is positioned above. Bipartite windows are found on both floors in the central bay, with another bipartite window in the bay to the outer right.

The majority of windows are timber sash and case with two panes, while the sides have 12-light upper glazing incorporating some stained glass, and plate-glass lower glazing. Modern glazing has been introduced at ground level on the south side, while the original decorative leaded stair window remains at the rear. The roof is covered with graded grey slate, incorporating coped ridges, apex stacks to the north, and various circular cans. A decorative finial tops the tower.

The interior has been subdivided to create two separate flats; the linking stair for the ground floor flat is enclosed. Original features such as cornice work, timber panelling, ceiling roses, timber panelled doors, and skirting boards remain.

The property is enclosed by a stepped, low coped boundary wall, partly rendered, along the south and east boundaries. Regular sandstone piers with cornices and ball-shaped finials mark the boundaries, with a replacement cast-iron gate providing pedestrian access. A red ashlar armorial panel is centrally placed within a coped round-arch on the southeast boundary.