Rothesay is a town packed with outstanding examples of the ambition, confidence and sheer exuberance of a Victorian era coastal town. A river of wealth flowed from the empire through Glasgow and down river to towns such as Rothesay in the form of both people and business profits and left is mark on the urban architecture we see today.

The town was arguably the foremost holiday town for generations of people from the west coast of Scotland, and the buildings reflected and reinforced this status. Today, this unique legacy is all around us, and as a result Bute boasts one of the biggest conservation areas in Scotland.

This app invites you to take a look at the inspirational architecture of this small town and enjoy some of the stories behind it. It has been funded by the Rothesay Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) which seeks to make Rothesay town centre a better place to live, work and visit, by repairing the structure and external fabric of priority buildings through grants and professional support to property owners.

Rothesay THI is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland, Argyll & Bute Council and LEADER.