Craig Ailey

Craig Ailey
Former names	Italian Villa
General information
Architectural style	Lombardic[1] Italianate[2]
Address	South Ailey Road, Cove, Argyll
Country	Scotland
Coordinates	55°59′32″N 4°51′07″W
Construction started	1850
Estimated completion	1852
Client	John McElroy
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Alexander Thomson
Developer	John McElroy
Main contractor	John McElroy
Listed Building – Category A
Designated	14 May 1971
Reference no.	LB43472

View from Shore Road of the house, perched on the crag-top above Craigrownie Cottage.

Craig Ailey is a villa at Cove, originally named Italian Villa. The site above a craig (cliff) gives views over the Firth of Clyde and its junction with Loch Long. It was designed in 1850 by Alexander Thomson (later known as "Greek Thomson"), and built around 1852 by his client the builder and developer John McElroy,[1] who had feued land in the Cove and Kilcreggan area from the 8th Duke of Argyll. Access to the house is by South Ailey Road.[3] The house, on top of the craig above Craigrownie Cottage, can be seen from Shore Road.

Notes

1. "South Ailey Road, Craig Ailey With Boundary Wall, Gates And Gatepiers (LB43472)". Historic Environment Scotland. 14 May 1971. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
2. Glendinning, M. (2019). History of Scottish Architecture. Edinburgh University Press. p. 288. ISBN 978-1-4744-6850-3. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
3. Bray, A; Reeve, Richard (18 September 2015). "Rosneath Peninsula West Heritage Trail" (PDF). Helensburgh Heritage Trust. Retrieved 17 April 2022.

References

• Blackie & Son (1868). Villa and Cottage Architecture: Select Examples of Country and Suburban Residence Recently Erected. With a Full Descriptive Notice of Each Building ... Blackie & Son. Retrieved 12 April 2022.