Isle of Bute By Heart: Doon the Watter, the Pavilion Floor & Rothesay Stories
The floor they all danced on is back.
Rothesay Pavilion opened on the front in 1938, a long white building with a sprung dance floor that half of Glasgow seems to have met their other half on. It has been shut for restoration for years. This year the original floor was brought back to life, and the Pavilion is aiming to open its doors again in spring 2027.
So it felt like the right time to write it all down. The Fair fortnight. The boat from Wemyss Bay. Fish suppers on the front and the walk round the bay after. The Brandanes, and everybody else who came doon the watter for a week and spent the rest of the year talking about it.
Isle of Bute By Heart is a book of island stories, history and places, written for people who love Bute, whether you live there now, grew up there, or only ever knew it two weeks a year.
Inside you'll find:
- The Pavilion in its dancing years, and the floor that was built to spare your shins
- Wemyss Bay station and the crossing, the way it used to feel
- The Victorian toilets on the pier (yes, really) and the castle with a moat in the middle of town
- Ettrick Bay, and the old tram that used to take you there
- Mount Stuart, the Kyles, the seals at Scalpsie and St Blane's at the quiet south end
- Rothesay in the rain, and Bute in winter when the visitors have gone home
Who it's for: Brandanes at home and away. Families who went every Fair. Anyone whose gran or papa met someone at the Pav. It makes a lovely wee gift for someone who still talks about Rothesay.
What you get: 20 chapters, about 60 pages, as a PDF you can read on your phone, tablet or computer, or print at home. Any corrections and new memories added later are sent to you free.
This is an ebook (a digital download), so nothing is posted. Your download link arrives straight after checkout. Made by Roots & Routes, a small independent shop.