The ferries were cancelled. The rain and wind was howling, but the few of us who made it across to Kilcreggan were in for an enjoyable day. We met at Kilcreggan ferry terminal and walked west along Shore Road where there were many beautiful examples of original Victorian wrought ironwork. Our tour guide, ATS board member Roger Guthrie, gave us an interesting insight into the development of the area and the way the stone use to be quarried and brought to the site. Along the road to Cove, which hugged the shoreline of the Rosneath peninsula, we stopped at various points to discuss the interesting array of gatepier designs as well as the influences of Thomson to be seen in other buildings.
(Right) Wayfinding signage on the roadside in Cove
(Above) Craig Ailey Villa circa 1852 by Alexander Thomson
Once we’d made our way to Cove (via the Real Ale Festival in Cove Burgh Hall) there were a huge number of Thomson buildings in various styles throughout the village. Craig Ailey, the ‘Italian Villa’, is perhaps the most impressive of his Cove designs, due in part to it’s stunning location and views overlooking the Forth of Clyde. Another striking feature of this building is the vertical courses of masonry at the base, as well as the beautiful round-arched windows. Down the road is Seymour Lodge (middle left), built just a few years before Craig Ailey but in a very different style, and the semi-detached villas Ashlea/Ellerslie (bottom left).
(Above) Crag Owlet in Cove
(Top left) Craigrownie Castle (House) c.1854
By Zoë Herbert 24.09.16
We run a series of Walking Tours every year. Please check our website for dates and details at the beginning of next year. If you would like more information on the Alexander Thomson Society events then email info@alexanderthomsonsociety.org.uk or come and say hello on Twitter @AThomsonSociety
Doors Open Day: Double Villa, 20th September 2015
25A is one half of the celebrated Double Villa. In 2015, it was open for the first time in years as part of Doors Open Day.
The ingeniously designed Double Villa contains two houses with reversed ground plans which create a spectacular classical villa. The day was a huge success, with many joining us to take advantage of this one-off opportunity to see the period interiors and modern touches.
