Rosneath () is a village in
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...
, Scotland. It sits on the western shore of the
Gare Loch, northwest of the tip of the
Rosneath Peninsula. It is about by road from the village of
Kilcreggan, which is sited on the southern shore of the peninsula, on the
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...
.
The Gare Loch narrows at Rosneath to under half a mile (around 600 metres) at a place known as the ''Rhu Narrows'', after the village of
Rhu on the eastern shore of the loch.
Rosneath Bay to the south of the village curves eastward to Castle Point, near the site of the former
Roseneath Castle, in the grounds of the former
Rosneath House which are now occupied by Rosneath caravan park. The coast turns south past Culwatty Bay to Rosneath Point at the tip of the peninsula, which was directly north of the
Greenock Princes Pier railway station, distant on the southern shore of the Firth.
History
The Rosneath area has been settled from at least 600 onwards, when
St. Modan, a travelling missionary, founded a church there. The name ''Rosneath'' may have its roots in this era, being derived from the
Gaelic , meaning "promontory of consecrated ground". The name has historically been spelled as ''Roseneath'' (notably in both the
First and
New (or Second) Statistical Accounts of Scotland). A more visible example is Roseneath Street in Greenock, which looks over the
River Clyde
The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...
to Rosneath Point, and dates from around 1870.
[Roseneath Street is shown on ; connecting between older houses to the Esplanade which was completed in 1867: by then, "Rosneath Point" was shown on the Ordnance Survey 6" map.]
Later, the area was heavily fortified, with Rosneath's own castling joining those of nearby
Faslane and Shandon (located at
Faslane and
Shandon), all of which are long since gone. Rosneath village did not yet fully exist by this time; instead, Rosneath parish was home to many free-standing dwellings, the occupants of which were, for the vast bulk of the area's history, employed in agriculture and fishing. Frequent shipping services to
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, Greenock and beyond were vital for the local economy.
Rosneath Castle was ruined and rebuilt many times; the final rebuilding, as
Rosneath House, came in 1803–06, three years after the previous building burned down. Located further uphill from previous versions, it belonged to the
Duke of Argyll, whose family retained it until
Princess Louise died in 1939. In stark contrast to the earlier castles, it was in the
Romanesque Revival style.
From 1941 to 1945, Rosneath was home to an important
naval base known as
Rosneath naval base, thanks to its location in the well-sheltered natural harbour of the Gare Loch. The Americans used Rosneath Castle as a base of operations.
The castle was then abandoned and the remains demolished in 1961.
The Rosneath Peninsula was formerly in the traditional County of
Dunbarton until local government reorganisation moved it into the Argyll and Bute council area in 1996.
Population
At the 2001 census, its population was 931. Rosneath lies approximately from
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
by road. It is situated on the B833, a shoreside minor thoroughfare that serves the peninsula.
Notable people
*
John Anderson, the 18th century scientist, educational pioneer and radical who founded what became the
University of Strathclyde, was born in Rosneath where his father served as minister of the parish church.
*The founder of the first
Rangers F.C. team,
Moses McNeil, lived at
Clynder, just outside Rosneath. He was buried at the Old Churchyard of Rosneath in 1938. His death went unnoticed at the time by the media and he had nothing to leave in his will. Moses final resting place has been marked with a plaque by Rangers and members of the local community.
*
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, the daughter of Queen Victoria, was the last resident of Rosneath House.
*
William de Bois Maclaren, publisher, businessman and
Scout Commissioner, purchased
Gilwell Park in Essex and donated it to
The Scout Association
The Scout Association is the largest organisation in the Scout Movement in the Scouting in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom. Following the rapid development of the Scouting, Scout Movement from 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 ...
in 1919.
See also
*
List of places in Argyll and Bute
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosneath
Villages in Argyll and Bute
Parishes in Dunbartonshire