8-9 Bishop Terrace, Rothesay, Bute

This is a mid-19th century (circa 1840) classically-detailed flatted house, with later 19th-century additions and 20th-century alterations. The building is asymmetrical in design, comprising two storeys and three bays, with a full-height polygonal tower of cast-iron mullions set to the left of the centre. To the outer left is a recessed, gabled single-storey, two-bay block, and to the outer right, a recessed, gabled two-storey, two-bay block. The exterior is constructed of harl-pointed cherry-cocked rubble sandstone with polished sandstone dressings. Features include a raised base course, an eaves course beneath corniced eaves and pilastered quoins; stugged rubble quoins; stugged long and short surrounds to polished openings; and projecting cills. The ground floor has round-arched openings in the penultimate bays to the outer left and right, shouldered-arched openings to a bow window, and ogee-arched openings at the first floor level. The rear elevation is of harl-pointed rubble, with a piended boarded timber addition set to the right of the centre.

The west (entrance) elevation features steps leading to a timber-panelled door, centrally positioned at ground floor level serving flat number 9, with a plate glass fanlight. A doorpiece surrounds the door, featuring flanking pilasters, a plain frieze, a block pediment and a raised keystone. A single window is aligned above the door at first floor level. Further single windows are visible on both floors to the right-hand bay. The full-height five-light bow is located in the bay to the left. A recessed block is present to the outer left, with a single window. A large window is set beneath the apex to the left. The recessed block to the outer right has single windows in both bays at ground and first floors.

The east (rear) elevation displays a projecting pilastered timber addition at first floor level in three bays to the right of the centre, serving flat number 8. Single windows are positioned below this. Single windows are placed at both floors in the remaining openings to the left. A bracketed canopy sits above a single door at ground floor level in the penultimate bay to the outer left – providing rear access to a ground floor flat.

Modern uPVC glazing is used on the ground floor; the first floor features 2-pane timber sash and case windows. The roof is covered with graded grey slate, with replacement rainwater goods. Moulded copes are present to the sandstone wallhead stacks, which have octagonal and circular cans.

The interior of the house was not inspected in 1996.

A former dovecot, a two-storey, single-bay random rubble structure, is located to the south, featuring a boarded timber door at first floor level to the east and louvred vents beneath the eaves to the west, topped with a graded grey slate, slightly bell-cast piended roof. A coach-house to the north incorporates a pitched single-storey with attic and has boarded timber two-leaf doors centred at ground level, with a segmental-arched hay-loft opening above. The roof is of graded grey slate and piended.

A rubble wall with round-arched rubble coping encloses the site. Whitewashed panelled piers flank the entrance to number 9, featuring a raised base course and triangular caps, with a replacement pedestrian entry gate.