A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that originally provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa , the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic , villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity , sometimes transferred to the Church for reuse as a monastery . Then they gradually re-evolved through the Middle Ages into elegant upper-class country homes. In the early modern period , any comfortable detached house with a garden near a city or town was likely to be described as a villa; most survivals have now been engulfed by suburbia . In modern parlance, "villa" can refer to various types and sizes of residences, ranging from the suburban semi-detached double villa to, in some countries, especially around the Mediterranean , residences of above average size in the countryside.
98-575: Wemyss Bay ( / ˌ w iː m z ˈ b eɪ / ) is a village on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde in the west central Lowlands of Scotland . It is in the traditional county of Renfrewshire . It is adjacent to Skelmorlie , North Ayrshire . The town and villages have always been in separate counties, divided by the Kelly Burn. Wemyss Bay is the port for ferries on
196-658: A book in 2018 called A Walk Through Time at Wemyss Bay . 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 Peninsula . The Firth lies between West Dunbartonshire in the north, Argyll and Bute in
294-587: A chartered town. Later evolution has made the Hispanic distinction between villas and ciudades a purely honorific one. Madrid is the Villa y Corte , the villa considered to be separate from the formerly mobile royal court , but the much smaller Ciudad Real was declared ciudad by the Spanish crown. In 14th and 15th century Italy, a villa once more connoted a country house, like the first Medici villas ,
392-751: A few of the notable early architects were Wallace Neff , Addison Mizner , Stanford White , and George Washington Smith . A few examples are the Harold Lloyd Estate in Beverly Hills, California , Medici scale Hearst Castle on the Central Coast of California , and Villa Montalvo in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Saratoga, California , Villa Vizcaya in Coconut Grove, Miami , American Craftsman versions are
490-458: A few years, and in 1850 his creditors sold the estate in two roughly equal portions; Kelly went to James Scott of Glasgow, Wemyss Bay to Charles Wilsone Brown. Charles Wilsone Brown did a great deal to develop the bay, selling ground for feuing . By 1855 there were 36 villas, and he got Castle Wemyss , designed by Robert William Billings , built on the hillside above Wemyss Point. In 1860 he sold his estate on to George Burns , recently retired as
588-533: A fisherman. In the late 18th century, ihe Ardgowan Estate feued an area for houses to Mr. Orkney of Rothesay , who built four identical villas facing the bay, off an access road (Wemyss Bay Road) extending west from the main road; they are shown in John Ainslie 's 1796 survey which also records the names Wemyss Bay and Wemyss Point. These villas, the only houses in the bay for many years, were let to Glasgow merchants and came to be known as New Glasgow. In 1792
686-482: A friend and supporter of David Livingstone . After the news of the explorer's death, he arranged for Livingstone's assistants Chuma and Susi to visit Britain in 1874. They arrived after the funeral, and following a period at Newstead Abbey helping Horace Waller with Livingstone's Last Journals , they reached Kelly in June. Young questioned them closely about the hut in which Livingstone had died, and as grass in fields
784-634: A harbour and a steamboat quay. In 1846 the Jamaican estates Wallace had inherited were devalued, and he lost his wealth. He resigned as MP, and sold the Kelly Estate to an Australian merchant named James Alexander. An 1847 guide book described how "in passing Wemyss Point, we come upon Wemyss Bay or New Glasgow , which from its sheltered situation, the number of beautiful localities admirably adapted for building sites, and which indeed we understand had been purchased of Mr. Wallace by Mr. Alexander, with
882-493: A high-status power centre with its baths and gardens. The grand villa at Woodchester preserved its mosaic floors when the Anglo-Saxon parish church was built (not by chance) upon its site. Grave-diggers preparing for burials in the churchyard as late as the 18th century had to punch through the intact mosaic floors. The even more palatial villa rustica at Fishbourne near Winchester was built (uncharacteristically) as
980-695: A humanized agricultural landscape , at that time the only desirable aspect of nature . Later villas and gardens include the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens in Florence, and the Villa di Pratolino in Vaglia . Rome had more than its share of villas with easy reach of the small sixteenth-century city: the progenitor, the first villa suburbana built since Antiquity, was the Belvedere or palazzetto , designed by Antonio del Pollaiuolo and built on
1078-483: A hurricane in February 1856, it was finally wrecked by a storm at the end of 1865. Further development introduced bigger, more complex, houses. Of the four original villas, two were taken down as the site for a larger house, one replaced by a villa which may have been designed by Billings and was later remodelled by John Honeyman . Only one still shows something of the original design and scale. In 1887 George Burns had
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#17327810403121176-645: A joint venture between Ineos and Petrochina . A second pipeline brings back refined oil products to the Finart Oil Terminal for export (in smaller oil tankers) mainly to Northern Ireland . On the upper Clyde, at Govan and Scotstoun both in Glasgow , two major shipyards are still in operation. They are owned by BAE Systems , whose major client is the Royal Navy . On the lower Clyde, only one shipyard still operates, Ferguson Marine , which
1274-721: A large open rectangle, with porticos enclosing gardens entered through a portico. Towards the end of the 3rd century, Roman towns in Britain ceased to expand: like patricians near the centre of the empire, Roman Britons withdrew from the cities to their villas, which entered on a palatial building phase, a "golden age" of villa life. Villae rusticae are essential in the Empire's economy. Two kinds of villa-plan in Roman Britain may be characteristic of Roman villas in general. The more usual plan extended wings of rooms all opening onto
1372-421: A linking portico, which might be extended at right angles, even to enclose a courtyard . The other kind featured an aisled central hall like a basilica , suggesting the villa owner's magisterial role. The villa buildings were often independent structures linked by their enclosed courtyards. Timber-framed construction, carefully fitted with mortises and tenons and dowelled together, set on stone footings, were
1470-436: A long entrance hall. In South Korea, the term "villa" refers to small multi-household house with 4 floors or less . In Cambodia, "villa" is used as a loanword in the local language of Khmer, and is generally used to describe any type of detached townhouse that features yard space. The term does not apply to any particular architectural style or size, the only features that distinguish a Khmer villa from another building are
1568-538: A partner in the Cunard Line . Burns had Wemyss House, designed by James Salmon built (near Undercliff) near the north end of the bay. His son John Burns took over Castle Wemyss and had it dramatically enlarged to a design by Billings. In November 1862 work began on the Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway . The original plan was for a station in the grounds of the "Clutha" villa at the start of Undercliffe Road, with
1666-521: A ravine and into the bay, which at one time was called Kelly Bay or White Week. The lands of Kelly, to the north of the burn, were granted in the late 15th century by King James III of Scotland to the Bannatyne family, descendants of the Bannatynes of Kames on Bute . Their Kelly Castle stood on a cliff edge on the north side of the ravine, about 500m upstream from the sea, and was the setting for
1764-550: A short walk along to Whiting Bay pier, but objections were raised by the Burns family. James Scott sold ground from the Kelly Estate to the railway, and the line crossed a bridge over the road to extend down the coast over a beach which Wallace's 1845 plan had identified as "Bathing Bay". The railway opened in May 1865 with its stone-built terminus station at a new pier near the Kelly Burn. The Whiting Bay pier had been repaired after damage by
1862-596: A significant presence on the Firth of Clyde, HMNB Clyde is known as Faslane within the navy and is located on Loch Long . HMNB Clydes role is with the servicing and maintenance of the UK submarine defence fleet. The base has other locations around the Firth. Babcock International . are involved in the engineering and operations at the base. On Loch Long , at Glen Mallan, the Northern Ammunition Jetty
1960-852: A vital military role during World War II . The Firth is sometimes called the Clyde Waters or Clyde Sea , and is customarily considered to be part of the Irish Sea . At the north of the Firth, Loch Long and the Gare Loch join the Firth; these lochs are separated by the Rosneath Peninsula . Off Greenock , an anchorage, known as the Tail of the Bank narrows the estuary of the River Clyde to 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. ( The "Bank"
2058-646: A wooded river. The name Wemyss is derived from the Scottish Gaelic uaimh which means cave . It is believed to be taken from the caves of the Firth of Forth where the Clan Wemyss made their home. The chiefs are one of the few noble families who are descended from the Celtic nobility through the Clan MacDuff Earls of Fife . Unlike the Firth of Forth, no conspicuous caves were seen in
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#17327810403122156-620: Is 1,825 hectares (4,510 acres). (Coordinates: 55°56'32"N 04°36'32"W) In September 2008, Scotland's first No Take Zone (NTZ) was introduced in Lamlash Bay , on the Isle of Arran . The result of a community effort, led by the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (C.O.A.S.T) . The NTZ was introduced to protect delicate marine communities, such as Maerl . Maerl is a slow-growing coral-like calcareous red algae (it grows only 1 mm per year) and
2254-421: Is a reference to a sandbank and shoal ) The River Clyde estuary has an upper tidal limit located at the tidal weir next to Glasgow Green . The geographical (and popular) distinction between the Firth and the River Clyde is vague. Some refer to Dumbarton as being "on the Firth of Clyde "; while at the same time, the residents of Port Glasgow and Greenock often refer to the part of the Firth that lies to
2352-632: Is also used in Pakistan, and in some of the Caribbean islands such as Jamaica , Saint Barthélemy , Saint Martin , Guadeloupe , British Virgin Islands , and others. It is similar for the coastal resort areas of Baja California Sur and mainland Mexico, and for hospitality industry destination resort "luxury bungalows " in various locations worldwide. In Indonesia, the term "villa" is applied to Dutch colonial country houses ( landhuis ). Nowadays,
2450-607: Is an important Scottish species. Maerl beds are locations of high biodiversity and are crucial nursery grounds for both young scallops and young fish. Studies show that both scallop dredging and organic waste from fish farms, significantly impact Maerl. Scallop dredging on a Maerl bed has been found to kill over 70% of the Maerl. Monitoring the dredged bed over the next four years found no discernible recovery, suggesting that Maerl beds would require many years free of disturbance in order to recover. In 2014, 71,200 hectares (712 km ) at
2548-522: Is located next to Newark Castle, Port Glasgow . The Scottish Government now own the yard. The Garvel Dry Dock in Greenock continues in operation for ship repair. The large Inchgreen Dry Dock in Greenock is in occasional use. The remains of former sites of shipyards on the Clyde are being redeveloped into areas that contain residential housing, leisure facilities, and commercial buildings. On
2646-552: Is now the city museum of Helsinki, Finland . During the 19th and 20th century, the term "villa" became widespread for detached mansions in Europe. Special forms are for instance spa villas ( Kurvillen in German) and seaside villas ( Bädervillen in German), that became especially popular at the end of the 19th century. The tradition established back then continued throughout the 20th century and even until today. Another trend
2744-548: Is operated by Caledonian MacBrayne , the Public Service provider. This service carries only foot passengers and connects directly with the ScotRail service to Glasgow . Western Ferries , is a Private Limited Company , it operates the service between Hunters Quay and McInroy's Point near to Gourock. This service carries all types of vehicular transport, as well as foot passengers. The Kintyre peninsula forms
2842-549: Is the most visited attraction owned by the National Trust for Scotland . Ocean liners frequently call at Greenock, and Glasgow International Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport are nearby. There is frequent rail service to and from the Clyde coast, including links to Oban and Fort William , with city terminals in Glasgow and Edinburgh. There is also daily ferry service between the area and Belfast. The Firth hosted
2940-465: Is with a few exceptions along the whole course of the Frith, is bounded at a short distance back from the shore with a range of hills, sometimes rising in gentle slopes, and at other times in abrupt rocky precipices, from which is to be had a continued succession of beautiful and varied views. The name Kelly comes from Celtic languages , with the meaning of a wood or woodland. Similarly, Kelburn refers to
3038-579: The Battle of Largs , which was fought on the Firth, in 1263, was a geopolitical turning point: It marked the end of Norse ambitions in Britain. Beginning in the 16th century, the Firth increasingly became a conduit for commercial and industrial products, including: herring; timber; wine; sugar; tobacco; textiles; iron and steel; coal; oil; industrial chemicals; distillation and brewing; ships, locomotives, and other vehicles; and other manufactured products. In
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3136-768: The Château de Ferrières is an example of the Italian Neo-Renaissance style villa – and in Britain the Mentmore Towers . A representative building of this style in Germany is Villa Haas (designed by Ludwig Hofmann) in Hesse . Villa Hakasalmi in Helsinki (built in 1834–46) represents Empire-era villa architecture. It was the home of Aurora Karamzin (1808–1902) at the end of the 19th century and
3234-631: The Farnese . Near Siena in Tuscany, the Villa Cetinale was built by Cardinal Flavio Chigi . He employed Carlo Fontana , pupil of Gian Lorenzo Bernini to transform the villa and dramatic gardens in a Roman Baroque style by 1680. The Villa Lante garden is one of the most sublime creations of the Italian villa in the landscape, completed in the 17th century. In the later 16th century in
3332-548: The Ferguson Marine shipbuilding yard, adjacent to Newark Castle, Port Glasgow , is the last merchant shipbuilder on the Clyde, and it is owned by the Scottish Government. In Greenock, the large dry dock and ship-repair facilities at Inchgreen opened in 1964, and were subsequently taken over by Scott Lithgow . The dry dock there is 305 metres (1,001 ft) long and 44 metres (144 ft) wide. With
3430-518: The Franks . Kintzheim was Villa Regis , the "villa of the king". Around 590, Saint Eligius was born in a highly placed Gallo-Roman family at the 'villa' of Chaptelat near Limoges , in Aquitaine (now France). The abbey at Stavelot was founded ca 650 on the domain of a former villa near Liège and the abbey of Vézelay had a similar founding. As Europe's influence spread to other cultures,
3528-666: The Gamble House and the villas by Greene and Greene in Pasadena, California Modern architecture has produced some important examples of buildings known as villas: Country-villa examples: Today, the term "villa" is often applied to vacation rental properties. In the United Kingdom the term is used for high quality detached homes in warm destinations, particularly Florida and the Mediterranean. The term
3626-1252: The Liebermann Villa and Britz House in Berlin, Albrechtsberg , Eckberg, Villa Stockhausen and Villa San Remo [ de ] in Dresden , Villa Waldberta in Feldafing , Villa Kennedy [ de ] in Frankfurt , Jenisch House and Budge-Palais in Hamburg , Villa Andreae [ de ] and Villa Rothschild [ de ; ar ; fr ] in Königstein , Villa Stuck and Pacelli-Palais [ de ] in Munich , Schloss Klink at Lake Müritz , Villa Ludwigshöhe in Rhineland-Palatinate , Villa Haux in Stuttgart and Weinberg House in Waren . In France
3724-579: The Neo-Palladian a part of the late 17th century and on Renaissance Revival architecture period. In the early 18th century the English took up the term, and applied it to compact houses in the country, especially those accessible from London: Chiswick House is an example of such a "party villa". Thanks to the revival of interest in Palladio and Inigo Jones , soon Neo-Palladian villas dotted
3822-461: The Queen Anne style Victorian architecture and Beaux-Arts architecture . Communities such as Montecito , Pasadena , Bel Air , Beverly Hills , and San Marino in Southern California, and Atherton and Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area are a few examples of villa density. The popularity of Mediterranean Revival architecture in its various iterations over the last century has been consistently used in that region and in Florida . Just
3920-402: The Sea Road to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute . Passengers from the island can connect to Glasgow by trains, which terminate in the town at Wemyss Bay railway station , noted for its architectural qualities and regarded as one of Scotland's finest railway buildings. The port is very exposed, so in high winds the ferries must travel up river to Gourock to dock. The coast at this place, as it
4018-409: The Villa Giulia of Pope Julius III (1550), designed by Vignola . The Roman villas Villa Ludovisi and Villa Montalto, were destroyed during the late nineteenth century in the wake of the real estate bubble that took place in Rome after the seat of government of a united Italy was established at Rome. The cool hills of Frascati gained the Villa Aldobrandini (1592); the Villa Falconieri and
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4116-597: The Villa Godi , the Villa Forni Cerato , the Villa Capra "La Rotonda" , and Villa Foscari . The Villas are grouped into an association (Associazione Ville Venete) and offer touristic itineraries and accommodation possibilities. Soon after in Greenwich England, following his 1613–1615 Grand Tour , Inigo Jones designed and built the Queen's House between 1615 and 1617 in an early Palladian architecture style adaptation in another country. The Palladian villa style renewed its influence in different countries and eras and remained influential for over four hundred years, with
4214-424: The Villa Mondragone . The Villa d'Este near Tivoli is famous for the water play in its terraced gardens . The Villa Medici was on the edge of Rome, on the Pincian Hill , when it was built in 1540. Besides these designed for seasonal pleasure, usually located within easy distance of a city, other Italian villas were remade from a rocca or castello, as the family seat of power, such as Villa Caprarola for
4312-464: The Villa del Trebbio and that at Cafaggiolo , both strong fortified houses built in the 14th century in the Mugello region near Florence . In 1450, Giovanni de' Medici commenced on a hillside the Villa Medici in Fiesole , Tuscany , probably the first villa created under the instructions of Leon Battista Alberti , who theorized the features of the new idea of villa in his De re aedificatoria . These first examples of Renaissance villa predate
4410-439: The episcopal Inverclyde Church built at Undercliffe Road in memory of his wife. This church was designed by J.J. Burnet . In 1867 Scott sold the Kelly estate to James Young , who had become a wealthy industrialist by inventing paraffin , and was known from then as James Young of Kelly. After his wife Mary died in April 1868, he continued living at Kelly House with his family. Since college in Glasgow in 1836, Young had been
4508-403: The villas ; a building is shown there on Ainslie's map. In 1803 his son Robert Wallace of Kelly inherited the Kelly Estate, and began major improvements, including a large picture-gallery extension to Kelly House. In 1814 he exchanged his land at North Finnock with Shaw Stewart of Ardgowan to gain the Lower Finnock area adjoining Wemyss Bay, so that his estate boundary on both sides of the road
4606-419: The 16 December 2015, an area to the south of Arran received a Marine Protected Area designation. The water quality of the Firth is monitored by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). SEPA have had a monitoring buoy located off the coast of Dunoon since 2009, with data collected every 15 minutes. The Firth of Clyde has some of the deepest sea channels in Northern Europe. It can accommodate
4704-568: The 1908 summer olympics, with the 12 metres (39 ft) sailing yacht races. The Firth of Clyde, like the River Clyde , has historically been an important centre of shipbuilding and shipping. Upriver, there have been shipbuilding and engineering centres at Glasgow , Govan , Clydebank , Dumbarton , and Renfrew . Downriver, there have been major yards at Greenock and Port Glasgow ; smaller yards at Irvine , Ardrossan, Troon , and Campbeltown ; and various other boatyards, including those at Hunters Quay , Port Bannatyne , and Fairlie . Today,
4802-695: The 1960s to property developers and since then the village has grown considerably, albeit largely a dormitory settlement for Greenock and Glasgow. However several of the fine red sandstone properties remain and are now seen as renovation opportunities. There is a butcher, newsagent, cafe and fish and chip shop in the village and a pub and cafe in the extensive railway station buildings. Walter Smart's Skelmorlie (1968) provides an account of both Wemyss Bay and Skelmorlie. Gourock, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay from Old Photographs (1981) and Gourock, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay in Old Picture Postcards (1998) are also of interest. All are currently out of print. M.E. Spragg released
4900-496: The Americas from Spain and Portugal, by the Spanish Colonial Revival style with regional variations. In the 20th century International Style villas were designed by Roberto Burle Marx , Oscar Niemeyer , Luis Barragán , and other architects developing a unique Euro-Latin synthesized aesthetic. Villas are particularly well represented in California and the West Coast of the United States, where they were originally commissioned by well travelled "upper-class" patrons moving on from
4998-451: The Firth itself, Ardmaleish Boatbuilding are based at Ardmaleish , near to Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute . The Greenock Cruise Terminal , operated by Clydeport part of The Peel Group. A new terminal was opened on 25 August 2023. Shipwreck diving is a popular activity on the Firth, with many wreck sites to explore. Military wrecks have protection under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 . The Royal Navy has
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#17327810403125096-427: The Firth. Harbour porpoises are also common. While dolphins are much less common, some were spotted in the upper reaches of the Firth in the summer of 2005. Very uncommon are humpback whales , as are the minke whales . Even rarer are Killer Whales . Also, in 2005, the Firth had the second-highest number of basking shark sightings in Scotland (after the Minch ). These huge sharks seem to particularly favour
5194-406: The Glasgow merchant John Wallace, owner of extensive estates in Jamaica with sugar plantations and slaves, bought the Kelly Estate. In 1793 he had a red sandstone mansion called Kelly House built on the hillside up from the road, looking over the bay (this was later painted white). About this time the Wemyss Bay Hotel was built on the east side of the main road, near the junction to the road serving
5292-400: The Wemyss Bay area, though some minor caves may have been found in the cliffs. In his guide, Boyd says he was told the story that an old fisherman named Robert Wemyss lived at the bay in the 18th century, and rented out boats. Three of his regular customers were unable to agree on the name for the bay, until they decided to "call it after old Bob". The Kelly Burn flows west down the hillside in
5390-410: The age of Lorenzo de' Medici , who added the Villa di Poggio a Caiano by Giuliano da Sangallo , begun in 1470, in Poggio a Caiano , Province of Prato , Tuscany . From Tuscany the idea of villa was spread again through Renaissance Italy and Europe. The Quattrocento villa gardens were treated as a fundamental and aesthetic link between a residential building and the outdoors, with views over
5488-495: The demise of Scott Lithgow and Cammell Laird , their facilities came under the management of Clydeport . The Hunterston Ore Terminal was constructed to facilitate the transport of bulk ore, but later mainly dealt with coal imports, and closed in 2016. The ExxonMobil (ESSO) Fuel Oil Terminal site at Bowling . There was a jetty built as part of Inverkip Power Station , for oil deliveries by oil tanker . Villa Roman villas included: In terms of design, there
5586-423: The eighth century, Gallo-Roman villas in the Merovingian royal fisc were repeatedly donated as sites for monasteries under royal patronage in Gaul – Saint-Maur-des-Fossés and Fleury Abbey provide examples. In Germany a famous example is Echternach ; as late as 698, Willibrord established an abbey at a Roman villa of Echternach near Trier , presented to him by Irmina , daughter of Dagobert II , king of
5684-410: The fifth century, but the concept of an isolated, self-sufficient agrarian working community, housed close together, survived into Anglo-Saxon culture as the vill , with its inhabitants – if formally bound to the land – as villeins . In regions on the Continent, aristocrats and territorial magnates donated large working villas and overgrown abandoned ones to individual monks ; these might become
5782-401: The form, and use of the villa would also spread as well. In post-Roman times a villa referred to a self-sufficient, usually fortified Italian or Gallo-Roman farmstead. It was economically as self-sufficient as a village and its inhabitants, who might be legally tied to it as serfs were villeins . The Merovingian Franks inherited the concept, followed by the Carolingian French but
5880-436: The largest Capesize vessels afloat today. As a result, the Clyde has one of the UK's leading ports, at Clydeport , part of The Peel Group. The facility handles cargo from container ships at the Greenock Ocean Terminal . Supertankers visit the Firth to deliver crude oil to Finnart Oil Terminal in Loch Long , which is connected by pipeline to the Grangemouth Refinery on the Firth of Forth . Both owned by Petroineos ,
5978-417: The later French term was basti or bastide. Villa / Vila (or its cognates) is part of many Spanish and Portuguese placenames, like Vila Real and Villadiego : a villa / vila is a town with a charter ( fuero or foral ) of lesser importance than a ciudad / cidade ("city"). When it is associated with a personal name, villa was probably used in the original sense of a country estate rather than
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#17327810403126076-415: The main west coastline of the lower Firth. The Rosneath peninsula is formed by the Gare Loch in the east, and Loch Long in the west, both merge with the upper Firth of Clyde. There is a Caledonian MacBrayne passenger only service across the Firth to Gourock from Kilcreggan . There are many islands in the Firth. The largest three all have thriving communities and regular ferry services connecting them to
6174-436: The mainland. They are: The Northern Lighthouse Board is responsible for some of the navigation aids around Scotlands coast. With others being the responsibility of the local Competent Harbour Authority . There are lighthouses at: There are navigation beacons at: The Field Studies Council has a marine research station, based in Millport , on the island of Great Cumbrae . Common seals and grey seals abound in
6272-564: The middle of the 19th century, the sport of yachting became popular on the Firth. The area became famous worldwide for its significant contribution to yachting and yachtbuilding with notable designers including: William Fife III; Alfred Mylne ; G L Watson; David Boyd. It was also the location of many famous yacht yards. Clyde-built wooden yachts are still known for quality and style today. The "lower Clyde" shipyards of Greenock and Port Glasgow , most notably Scott Lithgow , played an important historical role in shipbuilding. The PS Comet
6370-424: The north of the Irish Sea. The deepest part of the channel is the Beaufort's Dyke , at 312 metres (1,024 ft). The Highland Boundary Fault enters the Firth off the east coast of Kintyre Peninsula in the south. The fault crosses the south eastern tip of the Cowal Peninsula at Toward Point , where it can be seen on the surface by the presence of Old Red Sandstone . The fault continues to Helensburgh in
6468-440: The north of those areas as "the river". The Firth encompasses many islands and peninsulas. Twelve ferry routes connect them to each other and the mainland. The majority of the ferry services are run by Caledonian MacBrayne and one by Western Ferries , and many of the routes are lifeline services for communities living in remote areas. The Firth has no fixed link transport infrastructure connections (bridge or tunnel), linking
6566-413: The north, then continues past the east coast of Scotland. The fault can be followed across Scotland for at least 240 km (150 miles), the fault is of great age and its remains are broken by more recent geological movement of the earths crust. Fourteen sea lochs join the Firth, the largest being Loch Fyne. The Cowal Peninsula extends into the Firth of Clyde and forms the main western shoreline of
6664-408: The northeastern Italian Peninsula the Palladian villas of the Veneto , designed by Andrea Palladio (1508–1580), were built in Vicenza in the Republic of Venice . Palladio always designed his villas with reference to their setting. He often unified all the farm buildings into the architecture of his extended villas while focusing on symmetry and perfect proportion. Examples are the Villa Emo ,
6762-410: The nuclei of monasteries . In this way, the Italian villa system of late Antiquity survived into the early Medieval period in the form of monasteries that withstood the disruptions of the Gothic War (535–554) and the Lombards . About 529 Benedict of Nursia established his influential monastery of Monte Cassino in the ruins of a villa at Subiaco that had belonged to Nero . From the sixth to
6860-482: The picturesque seaside towns and villages that line the Firth, with the more wealthy building substantial holiday homes along its coasts. Many towns, such as Gourock , Largs , Ayr , Dunoon , Rothesay , flourished during this period and became fully fledged resorts with well-appointed hotels and attractions. Golf courses, including major championship courses, proliferated. Today, tourism, sport and recreation, and heritage history continue to attract visitors from across
6958-416: The rest of the Old South functioned as the Roman Latifundium villas had. A later revival, in the Gilded Age and early 20th century, produced The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island , Filoli in Woodside, California , and Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. ; by architects-landscape architects such as Richard Morris Hunt , Willis Polk , and Beatrix Farrand . In the nineteenth century,
7056-486: The rule, replaced by stone buildings for the important ceremonial rooms. Traces of window glass have been found, as well as ironwork window grilles . With the decline and collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries, the villas were more and more isolated and came to be protected by walls. In England the villas were abandoned, looted , and burned by Anglo-Saxon invaders in
7154-716: The self-sufficiency of their latifundium villas, where they drank their own wine and pressed their own oil . This was an affectation of urban aristocrats playing at being old-fashioned virtuous Roman farmers, it has been said that the economic independence of later rural villas was a symptom of the increasing economic fragmentation of the Roman Empire . Archaeologists have meticulously examined numerous Roman villas in England . Like their Italian counterparts, they were complete working agrarian societies of fields and vineyards , perhaps even tileworks or quarries , ranged round
7252-531: The shore road recalls 'The Gaiter Club', whose members included Anthony Trollope , Lord Kelvin , Lord Palmerston and the Earl of Shaftesbury . Neither Castle Wemyss nor James Salmon 's Wemyss House remain, having been demolished in the 1980s and 1940s respectively. Also gone is J.J. Burnet 's episcopal Inverclyde Church, which stood on the shore road of Undercliff Road and was demolished in 1970. The Castle Wemyss estate and adjoining areas had been sold off in
7350-597: The shores or islands. The lowest fixed crossing over the Clyde is the Erskine Bridge , opened on 2 July 1971. The Irish Sea and the Firth of Clyde's southerly boundary, as defined by the Scottish Government, is between the southern tip of the Kintyre Peninsula and Corsewall Point on the Rhins of Galloway . The Firth joins the strait between Scotland and Northern Ireland, called the North Channel , at
7448-661: The slope above the Vatican Palace . The Villa Madama , the design of which, attributed to Raphael and carried out by Giulio Romano in 1520, was one of the most influential private houses ever built; elements derived from Villa Madama appeared in villas through the 19th century. Villa Albani was built near the Porta Salaria. Other are the Villa Borghese ; the Villa Doria Pamphili (1650);
7546-407: The song "The Carle of Kellyburn Braes" collected by Robert Burns . The castle burnt down in 1740, and was not rebuilt. The land on the north side of the bay to the west of what became the turnpike road, identified as Lower Finnock, was part of the adjoining Shaw Stewart Ardgowan Estate . This densely wooded area had valuable salmon fishing rights, the only dwelling was "Wemyss Cottage" occupied by
7644-708: The south of the Firth between Kintyre Peninsula and the Rhins of Galloway , on the North Channel boundary. Designated a Marine Protected Area, the (Clyde Sill MPA) , the NatureScot Site Code is 10414, the EU Site Code is 555560461. The MPA covers a distinctive sill where fresher water of the Firth mixes with the cooler, more saline water of the North Channel. This is a rich environment for plankton, which provide food for fish, that are in turn eaten by higher marine predators and seabirds. On
7742-602: The term villa was extended to describe any large suburban house that was free-standing in a landscaped plot of ground. By the time 'semi-detached villas' were being erected at the turn of the twentieth century, the term collapsed under its extension and overuse. The second half of the nineteenth century saw the creation of large "Villenkolonien" in the German speaking countries, wealthy residential areas that were completely made up of large mansion houses and often built to an artfully created masterplan. Also many large mansions for
7840-546: The term is more popularly applied to vacation rental usually located in countryside area. In Australia, "villas" or "villa units" are terms used to describe a type of townhouse complex which contains, possibly smaller attached or detached houses of up to 3–4 bedrooms that were built since the early 1980s. In New Zealand , "villa" refers almost exclusively to Victorian and Edwardian wooden weatherboard houses mainly built between 1880 and 1914, characterised by high ceilings (often 3.7 m or 12 ft), sash windows , and
7938-706: The upper Firth. The main town on the Cowal Peninsula is Dunoon . Ardlamont Point on the Ardlamont Peninsula , that extends off of the Cowal Peninsula, is the southern tip of the Ardlamont and Cowal Peninsulas. The ferries across the Firth save time compared to traveling "round by road", via Loch Eck side ( A815 road ), the Rest and Be Thankful ( A83 road ) and Loch Lomond side ( A82 road ).The service between Dunoon and Gourock in Inverclyde
8036-736: The valley of the River Thames and English countryside. Marble Hill House in England was conceived originally as a "villa" in the 18th-century sense. In many ways the late 18th century Monticello , by Thomas Jefferson in Virginia , United States is a Palladian Revival villa. Other examples of the period and style are Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis, Maryland ; and many pre- American Civil War or antebellum plantations , such as Westover Plantation and many other James River plantations as well dozens of Antebellum era plantations in
8134-410: The view of building villas thereon, will no doubt become an important rival to its neighbouring watering places. There is already a row of neat villas and cottages stretching from the port, and occasionally an elegant mansion. We are now within sight of Kelly House, the seat of R. Wallace, Esq., M.P.". Whiting Bay pier was constructed to the west of the original villas. Alexander went bankrupt after only
8232-491: The warm, shallow waters surrounding Pladda , south of Arran . However, although commercial fishing was at one time intensive in the Firth's many fishing towns, today the only catches of commercial interest remaining in the Clyde waters are prawns , lobsters , herring , mussels, and crayfish. On 5 September 2000, the Inner Clyde Estuary received a RAMSAR designation. Site number: 1036. The area covered
8330-986: The wealthy German industrialists were built, such as Villa Hügel in Essen . The Villenkolonie of Lichterfelde West in Berlin was conceived after an extended trip by the architect through the South of England. Representative historicist mansions in Germany include the Heiligendamm and other resort architecture mansions at the Baltic Sea, Rose Island and King's House on Schachen in the Bavarian Alps , Villa Dessauer in Bamberg , Villa Wahnfried in Bayreuth , Drachenburg near Bonn , Hammerschmidt Villa in Bonn ,
8428-532: The west and Inverclyde , North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire in the east. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran . The Kyles of Bute separates the Isle of Bute from the Cowal Peninsula . The Sound of Bute separates the islands of Bute and Arran. The Highland Boundary Fault crosses the Firth. The Firth also played
8526-474: The west side of the turnpike road between Inverkip and Wemyss Bay, and named the development Forbes Place after his wife's maiden name, Forbes, of Craigievar . Wallace planned the expansion of Wemyss Bay into a "Marine Village" of 200 villas, with facilities including three churches, hotel, Academy, hot baths, reading room and billiards room, terraced walks featuring a fountain and grass promenade, bowling green, curling pond, and quoiting ground. His plans included
8624-893: The wide range of Roman dwellings. Another type of villae is the "villa maritima", a seaside villa, located on the coast. A concentration of Imperial villas existed on the Gulf of Naples , on the Isle of Capri , at Monte Circeo and at Antium . Examples include the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum ; and the Villa of the Mysteries and Villa of the Vettii in Pompeii . There was an important villa maritima in Barcola near Trieste. This villa
8722-434: The world. The steam-powered PS Waverley —in addition to its regular service—still makes cruising trips to the coastal towns that have been popular tourist destinations since the 19th century. The Firth is ringed by many castles and buildings of historical importance that are open to the public, including Inveraray Castle , Brodick Castle , the opulent Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute, and Culzean Castle , which
8820-515: Was built in the 19th century. Wealthy Romans also escaped the summer heat in the hills round Rome, especially around Tibur ( Tivoli and Frascati ), such as at Hadrian's Villa . Cicero allegedly possessed no fewer than seven villas, the oldest of which was near Arpinum , which he inherited. Pliny the Younger had three or four, of which the example near Laurentium is the best known from his descriptions. Roman writers refer with satisfaction to
8918-521: Was located directly on the coast and was divided into terraces in a representation area in which luxury and power was displayed, a separate living area, a garden, some facilities open to the sea and a thermal bath. Not far from this noble place, which was already popular with the Romans because of its favorable microclimate, one of the most important Villa Maritima of its time, the Miramare Castle ,
9016-437: Was often little difference in the main residence between these types at any particular level of size, but the presence or absence of farm outbuildings reflected the size and function of the estate. Not included as villae were the domus , city houses for the élite and privileged classes, and the insulae , blocks of apartment buildings for the rest of the population. In Satyricon (1st century CE), Petronius described
9114-539: Was on a line immediately north of what became Ardgowan Road. He also bought land which he exchanged with the Earl of Eglinton to extend the Kelly Estate across the Kelly Burn into Ayrshire, incorporating the Auchindarroch area of upper Skelmorlie . In 1832 Wallace became Greenock 's first MP, and he played a significant part in introduction of the Uniform Penny Post . He had a row of houses built on
9212-541: Was refurbished, to accommodate the navy’s new Aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) and HMS Prince of Wales (R09) , with work completed in January 2022. The jetty is part of the DM Glen Douglas military munitions depot. Plans have been announced in February 2024 to demolish an undisclosed part of the site. The Firth of Clyde has always been an important sea route from the earliest times. For example,
9310-430: Was replaced by a mansion designed by William Leiper , built further up the hill in 1890. This Kelly House was destroyed in a fire in 1913. Attempts were made to blame suffragettes , but research indicates faulty electrical wiring was a more likely cause. The house remained a burnt out ruin for several years. A caravan park now occupies the estate, with its facilities building on the site of the 1890 mansion. A memorial on
9408-483: Was similar to that in Africa, they made a facsimile of the one they had built at Ilala. A photo of this informed the book illustrator. They also replicated the kitanda they had made to carry Livingstone after he became too weak to walk. On a later visit to Livingstone's relatives at Hamilton they made another hut. Wrench made a colourised photograph postcard of "Livingstone's Hut, Wemyss Bay". The original Kelly House
9506-579: Was the erection of rather minimalist mansions in the Bauhaus style since the 1920s, that also continues until today. In Denmark, Norway and Sweden "villa" denotes most forms of single-family detached homes , regardless of size and standard. The villa concept lived and lives on in the haciendas of Latin America and the estancias of Brazil and Argentina. The oldest are original Portuguese and Spanish Colonial architecture ; followed after independences in
9604-564: Was the first successful steamboat in Europe . Well into the 20th century, a large proportion of the world's ship construction took place around the upper Firth and River Clyde . With the advent of tourism in Victorian times, the Firth became popular with Glaswegians and residents of neighbouring towns and counties who travelled "doon the watter" (the Firth) on Clyde steamers to holiday in
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