Ferry Cottages, Ardentinny

The mid-19th century Ferry Cottages at Ardentinny represent a well-preserved example of fisherman’s or ferryman’s cottages and contribute to the streetscape. Their original date is uncertain, but they likely date to the earlier-mid 19th century.

The cottages have a single-storey frontage facing west, while rising to two full storeys towards the loch shore. The window placement on both elevations is irregular, with some blocked and altered openings. Ornamentation is minimal, consisting mainly of raised margins and a single pediment at the south end. The street frontage has eight bays with doors positioned second from the left and second from the right. Traditionally, there were only two cottages on the upper level, with an open space between them that was later roofed over. Photographic evidence from the mid-20th century shows four doorways, two of which originally featured small pediments that broke the eaves line; one has been recently replaced (in 2004), and the other is missing. Five ridge stacks were originally present, of which four remain. A small arched opening, now blocked, is visible in the north gable, leading to the attic level. The southernmost bay is an early 20th-century addition.

The eastern side of the cottages, facing the sea, is two-storeys high with irregular fenestration. A pitch-roofed timber porch is centrally located on the north cottage, while a filled-in segmental stone arch to the south suggests the ground floor may have originally served as storage, possibly for fishing purposes, though fireplaces were present on the lower floors until recently.

Access to the interiors was unavailable during a resurvey in 2004 but it is understood that the cottages have been substantially modernised.

The cottages are constructed from rubble with squared sandstone dressings, painted to the front and harled and painted to the rear. The roof is slate with leaded skews, with much of the roof covering replaced in 2004 using imported slate. Most of the windows and doors are replacements, with a single original timber sash and case window with a lying-pane found at the rear. A low rubble boundary wall extends along the seaside of the properties.