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Summary

Description

1899, commissioned by Rothesay Harbour Trustees; refurbished late 20th century. Rare and exceptional single storey, rectangular-plan public convenience with important decorative interior; male lavatory to S, female to N. Coloured, glazed bricks arranged in rectangular patterns; glazed brick base course, eaves course; moulded timber eaves incorporating rhones. Moulded bricks forming segmental-arched door-surround to south; slightly raised glazed bricks surrounding 2 entrances off-set to right of centre (reproductions later 20th century).

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: segmental-arched timber panelled door at ground off-set to left of centre; shouldered, architraved door-surround, raised keystone. 2-bay wing advanced to right of centre breaking eaves; 2 square-headed timber panelled doors centred at ground; slightly raised stylised keystones.

INTERIOR: MALE LAVATORY: (seen 2010) ceramic tiles to walls; foliate and geometric detailing to tiling beneath dado; roll-moulded architrave; decorative frieze. Patterned ceramic mosaic floor (Rothesay Burgh crest at entrance). Twyfords Ltd, Cliffe Vale potteries, Hanley, "St Ann's marble"; 14 urinals along outer walls; central hexagonal Adamant urinal range; white enamel alcoves; dark marble dressings (dark glaze on clay base); 3 glass-sided marble cisterns above wall-mounted urinal stalls; copper plumbing to all. W wall cubicles; plain timber panelled doors set in architraved surrounds; 4 heavy marble hand basins. Metal roof girders; gas-light fittings.

FEMALE LAVATORY: late 20th century fittings (formerly a store area).

Graded grey slate piended and platformed roof; tripartite rooflights above male lavatory. Decorative cast-iron brattishing.

Statement of Special Interest

The West Pier Public Convenience is an outstanding and rare surviving example of a high-quality Victorian public convenience built at the height of Rothesay's fame as a holiday destination. The public convenience is richly detailed and uses high quality materials, including marble sinks, characteristic of Rothesay's status during this period. It has an exceptional interior which includes a range of decorative tiles, sinks brass pipework and urinals. The majority of the fixtures and fittings were produced by Twyfords and are exceptional examples of the work of the company from this date.

The building was deliberately lavish to impress visitors and indicate the wealth and status of the town. The interior fittings were supplied by Twyfords Ltd of Glasgow for £530. The convenience was originally built without a female lavatory, but recent upgrading has formed a female lavatory in the N half of the building (previously used as an office/store).

Rothesay is one of Scotland's premier seaside resorts, developed primarily during the second half of the 19th and the early 20th centuries, and it incorporates an earlier medieval settlement. The town retains a wide range of buildings characteristic of its development as a high status 19th century holiday resort, including a range of fine villas, a Victorian pier and promenade.

The history and development of Rothesay is defined by two major phases. The development of the medieval town, centred on Rothesay Castle, and the later 19th and early 20th century development of the town as a seaside resort. Buildings from this later development, reflect the wealth of the town during its heyday as a tourist destination, and include a range of domestic and commercial architecture of a scale more often found in larger burghs. Both the 19th and early 20th century growth of the town, with a particular flourish during the inter-war period, included areas of reclaimed foreshore, particularly along the coast to the east of the town and around the pier and pleasure gardens.

(List description revised and category changed from B to A as part of Rothesay listing review 2010-11)

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