St Colmac Manse (also known as ''Cnoc an Raer'') is an historic building in St Colmac on the

Isle of Bute The Isle of Bute ( sco, Buit; gd, Eilean Bhòid or '), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault. Formerly a constituent isl ...

, Scotland. Dating to around 1835, it was the

clergy house A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

for the now-ruined and Category C listed

St Colmac's Church St Colmac's Church is a ruined 19th-century church in St Colmac, north-east of Ettrick Bay, on the Isle of Bute, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Built in 1835, it is now a Category B listed structure, as are its kirkyard, boundary wall, gatepiers ...

, located about to the east, built around the same time. Both properties are believed to have been built by John Paterson, a "very able builder and skilled mason" of

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

. The manse sits back about from the northern side of the B875 road, and several feet above it, at the end of a long driveway.Bute, St Colmac's Church
– Canmore It is two storeys, with a rear extension added in the 20th century. Also at the rear there are two stone outbuildings under slate roofs. The property sits on .

Interior

The interior includes a solid-fuel Rayburn range in the kitchen and a

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

staircase leading up to the first floor. The ground floor has an entrance

vestibule Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court". Anatomy In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...

, a living room, dining room, music room, kitchen, laundry room and pantry, while on the first floor there is a bathroom (with original Victorian clawfoot bath), the master bedroom with dressing room/bedroom, plus three further bedrooms.Cnoc an Raer
– Galbraith St_Colmac_Manse_4.jpg, Kitchen, looking southeast to the driveway side of the manse St_Colmac_Manse_7.jpg, Cantilever staircase, looking towards the western side of the house from the bathroom St_Colmac_Manse_6.jpg, Bathroom and clawfoot bath. The window overlooks the driveway

Exterior

In the back garden there are bedded stone footings of a rectangular building and yard wall. These are the remains of the former Edinmore farm, in records from 1576. The farm belonged to the Estate of Wester Kames. Occupation of the farm ended shortly before the manse's construction.Bute Croc-an-Raer
– Canmore File:St Colmac Manse 1.jpg, The gateposts and driveway up to the manse File:St Colmac Manse 2.jpg, The eastern wing of the manse File:St Colmac Manse 5.jpg, alt=The rear entrance, which enters the kitchen after a small vestibule, The rear entrance, on the northern side of the house, which enters the kitchen after a small vestibule

References

1835 establishments in Scotland Residential buildings completed in 1835 Clergy houses in Scotland {{Scotland-struct-stub