Tor House, Ardencraig Road, Rothesay, Bute

Tor House is a villa dating from circa 1855, designed by Alexander Thomson. It is a notable example of Greek-detailed architecture, constructed as an asymmetrical, two-storey, three-bay L-plan villa, with a squat, three-storey Italianate tower at its centre. A single-storey, flat-roofed entrance is set into the re-entrant angle to the right, and a single-storey service block extends to the rear. The villa is built with squared and snecked rubble sandstone, featuring yellow sandstone ashlar dressings. A rubble plinth is present at the front. The building has shallow-pitched roofs with overhanging timber eaves; exposed rafter ends are visible at the tower, complemented by decorative bargeboards and consoled cast-iron brackets. Tooled sandstone quoins are used, along with tooled long and short surrounds to the droved openings, flush cills, and pilaster mullions at ground level, comprising moulded bases, anthemion detailing beneath moulded capitals, and plain capitals at the first floor. The rear service block comprises a single-storey, U-plan structure of harl-pointed random rubble.

The northeast (entrance) elevation features steps leading to a single-storey entrance porch, offset to the right of centre. The porch has an anthemion-detailed frieze and a curvilinear engraving set within a droved surround, framing a three-leaf timber panelled door and plate-glass fanlight. The central tower has a single window at the first floor with a tripartite window above. A projecting three-light glazing row (drawing room) is located at ground level in the outer left bay, with a decorative circular frieze, mannered parapet, anthemion corner detailing, and a cast-iron balustrade to the first-floor balcony. A five-light glazing row is centred in the finialled apex above. Recessed service block wings are located to the outer left and right.

The southwest (rear) elevation has a single window at the first floor offset to the left of the main block. Projecting single-storey former service wings are present, featuring a tripartite window centred beneath the apex in a gabled bay to the outer left and a boarded timber entrance in a linking central wall, revealing an open courtyard behind. A bipartite window is centred beneath the apex in a gabled bay to the outer right.

The majority of the glazing has been replaced with aluminum. The roofs are predominantly graded grey slate piends and pitches, with a part corrugated-iron roof to the rear service wing. Replacement rainwater goods are visible, along with a wallhead stack to the southeast, circular flues, coped wallhead and apex stacks to the southwest, and decorative cans.

The interior includes a part-glazed vestibule door, predominantly original timber panelled doors with stylised detailing similar to the vestibule entry, decorative timber surrounds, and timber skirting boards. Plaster ceiling-work is present, including a sun ray ceiling rose for the ground floor day-room/lounge and a moon and stars design for the first floor evening-room/drawing room, mirroring details found at Holmwood. Embossed floral motifs are used, alongside stylised egg-and-dart cornices and anthemion detailing. The stair features curvilinear cast-iron uprights and a timber handrail, with a stair window set in a slightly bowed wall. A drawing room fireplace, originally from a demolished Alexander Thomson Glasgow office block, is a significant feature.

The boundary wall, gatepiers, and gates are constructed of coped harl-pointed random rubble, running along Ardencraig Road. Square-plan piers flank the entrance, featuring tooled quoins, a stylised key-pattern frieze, pyramidal caps, and cast-iron geometric-patterned gates.