Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

Ardmore Tower, Ardmore House, CardrossLB1165

Status: Designated

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

Summary

Category
C
Date Added
14/05/1971
Last Date Amended
25/08/2017
Local Authority
Argyll And Bute
Planning Authority
Argyll And Bute
Parish
Cardross
NGR
NS 31582 78569
Coordinates
231582, 678569

Description

A red sandstone rubble, D-plan tower of possible early 19th century date, built against the base of a steep cliff. There is a rectangular entrance opening at ground level on the southwest side and another rectangular opening is situated on the upper level on the east side. There are some other small, narrow, slit openings. The roof is incomplete and the tower is partially covered by ivy.

The interior was seen in 2016. It is circular in plan with some remains of former timber flooring, which was inserted in the 1980s.

Statement of Special Interest

This red sandstone tower is likely to have been built at the beginning of the 19th century to provide a link between the lower and upper parts of the garden at Ardmore House. Its height and narrow slit windows give the tower a defensive appearance and this adds to its interest as both a decorative and functional garden building. The tower repeats a circular form found elsewhere at Ardmore. As part of a collection of ancillary buildings associated with Ardmore House, it is an important feature in understanding the wider estate landscape.

Age and Rarity

The exact date and function of Ardmore Tower is unknown. It has previously been interpreted as a defensive structure dating to the 16th-17th century (Canmore, Walker 2000). However, it is more likely to be a building associated with the designed estate grounds developed on the Ardmore peninsula from 1798 onwards.

Ardmore Tower lies within the grounds of Ardmore House, located on a peninsula that juts out into the Clyde Estuary. Ardmore House dates to 1806 and is listed at category B, (LB1159). The tower sits immediately below a circular building on the cliff edge, whose original function is also unknown and which is listed with the house.

The Canmore record suggests the tower may have been a watch-tower or a defensive structure. Neither of these functions seem probable, however, as it would be unusual to place a defensive or watch-tower structure at the base of a cliff, rather than on the top. The suggestion of a 16th-17th century date is based on the masonry which is similar to other structures of the same date (Walker 2000). This date, however, is not confirmed. The tower is first depicted on the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map, published in 1898. The map evidence is not conclusive, as smaller buildings were not always recorded. Rubble construction was used for garden buildings in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Historic maps show an earlier estate landscape at Ardmore (Blaeu 1654; Roy 1747-52). The estate was sold to the Geils family in 1798 and the current Ardmore House, built in 1806, dates to their ownership. The Thomson map of 1823 marks the house as owned by a Major E. Geils and the house is described as 'modern and comfortable' by the New Statistical Account of 1845. The Geils family were responsible for laying out a designed landscape from 1798 into the early 1800s. It is possible that the tower was built at that point.

The 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1865 shows a designed landscape around Ardmore House, with an observatory at the central high point of the peninsula, and a number of paths, woodland walks and different garden areas. The base of the cliff where the tower is located formed the northern boundary of an orchard. A round building at the top of the cliff is shown on this map, although the tower is not.

The purpose of the tower was probably both decorative and practical. Embellishing a landscape with interesting architectural features which could be viewed from a distance, or visited on a tour around an estate was fashionable in the 18th and earlier 19th centuries. The tower would fit in with this trend. A seemingly defensive tower would also give the added impression of an estate with a long and interesting history, and its partly circular form echoes other structures at Ardmore, including the upper round building and the observatory. The tower may also have connected with the circular building above to serve a practical purpose. The upper round building could have been a store, in which case the tower may have been constructed to provide access to it from the lower garden, in use as an orchard in the mid 19th century. Internal timber ladders could have been used in the tower with an external stair leading up from the top opening.

Whilst no date has been confirmed for the tower at Ardmore, it may date to the early part of the 19th century when it was built as part of the designed landscape around the house. Garden buildings of this date are not rare, but its position and design make it an important part of the landscape around Ardmore House.

Architectural or Historic Interest

Interior

There are no features of special architectural interest.

Plan form

The D-plan of the tower with the flat elevation against the cliff may have been used to provide stability to the structure. The partly circular form also echoes other structures at Ardmore, including the observatory and the round building at the top of the cliff, suggesting a deliberate design choice for the designed landscape as a whole.

Technological excellence or innovation, material or design quality

Red sandstone is found in the local area and was a standard building material.

The tower is plain except for the narrow slit windows which give the appearance of a defensive structure. The construction of a garden building in the style of an earlier defensive outpost is of interest as it tells us about the aspirations of the owners, and the cultural and design trends of the period.

Setting

The tower is set at the bottom of a cliff face within a private garden. The building is only visible at close range due to the growth of vegetation in the immediate area around the tower (2016). In the 19th century, the setting of the building was that of an orchard and other productive gardens associated with the estate.

Regional variations

There are no known regional variations.

Close Historical Associations

There are no known associations with a person or event of national importance at present (2017).

Statutory address, category of listing and listed building record revised in 2017. Previously listed at category B as Cardross, Ardmore House, Tower.

References

Bibliography

Canmore: http://canmore.org.uk/ CANMORE ID 42388.

Maps

John Thomson's Atlas of Scotland (1823) Dunbartonshire. Edinburgh: J Thomson & Co.

Ordnance Survey (Surveyed 1860, published 1865). Dumbarton Sheet XVII.14. 25 Inches to the mile map. 1st Edition. Southampton: Ordnance Survey.

Ordnance Survey (Surveyed 1897, published 1898) Dunbartonshire Sheet 017.14. 25 Inches to the mile map. 2nd Edition. Southampton: Ordnance Survey.

Roy, W (1747-52) Military Survey of Scotland, Highlands.

Printed Sources

Battram, W. (1875) Battrum's Guide and Directory to Helensburgh and Neighbourhood. Helensburgh: Macnear & Bryden.

Maughan, W. C. (1897) Annals of Garelochside. Paisley and London: Alexander Gardner. p.295.

New Statistical Account (1845) Cardross, County of Dumbarton, Vol. VIII. p.87.

Walker, F. A. (2000) The Buildings of Scotland: Argyll and Bute. London: Penguin. p.124.

Walker, F. A. and Sinclair, F. (1992) North Clyde Estuary. Edinburgh: RIAS. pp.63-64.

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

Map
Ardmore Tower, Ardmore House, Cardross looking west, during daytime with surrounding trees.

Printed: 28/03/2024 19:12