Wee House, Rose Cottage, Linn Of Dee, Braemar

This is a mid-19th century, single-storey and attic cottage with an associated timber ‘wee house’ located to the north. The cottage is constructed of coursed rubble with tooled dressings. The symmetrical south (principal) elevation features a central four-panel timber door with a stained glass rectangular fanlight bearing the letters ‘ROSE COTTAGE’. There are two piended and canted dormers to the attic. The north (rear) elevation has a piended dormer and a timber weatherboarded lean-to. Timber four-pane sash and case windows are present throughout. The roof is covered with graded purple slate, with bracketed eaves and gable stacks topped with octagonal chimney cans.

The timber ‘wee house’ was added in the later 19th century and is located behind the main cottage. It is weatherboarded, single-storey, and has two bays with a lean-to to the east, featuring a door and window on its south elevation, and a piended dormer. A masonry stack with two chimney cans is also present, and the covering is purple slate with corrugated iron on the lean-to.

Rose Cottage occupies a prominent location on the Linn of Dee Road and is visible from Auchendryne Square, making a significant contribution to the streetscape. It represents a characteristic pattern of simple single-storey and attic cottages with timber wee houses found in this region. Constructed from traditional granite, timber, and slate, the cottage retains substantial historic local character.

The timber ‘wee house’ is a rare survival that distinguishes the locality and reflects the historical development of the region due to increased tourism. In the 19th century, Deeside was widely regarded as a health resort, its beauty drawing comparisons to Switzerland. The Royal Family’s visits from the 1840s and the arrival of the railway to Ballater in the 1850s led to an influx of wealthy tourists. Residents then built ‘wee houses’ in their gardens during the summer months to allow them to let their cottages to visitors, thus the pairing of cottage and wee house illustrates a key aspect of Braemar's social history.