Blythbank, 4-6 High Street

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Tayfield Estate Office

Blythbank was built probably in 1806 as the Tayfield Estate office. It sits directly opposite the road leading down to the old Newport pier. Long after the new ferry pier opened in 1823, the old pier continued to be used for commercial purposes. The pier belonged to Tayfield and ships using the pier, loading or unloading cargoes, would pay dues to the estate. The estate office was therefore very conveniently situated for the collection of these payments.

Later Years

It’s not known when exactly Blythbank stopped functioning as the estate office, but until it was sold by Tayfield and converted to a house in the 2000s, it had housed many businesses over the years. From the 1920s until 1970 it was occupied by coal merchants Muir, Thomas, Son and Patton. They had a coal depot at the East Station but used this building as their sales office. In the 1970s well-known local joiner William Willocks had a DIY supplies shop here. This was followed by Modelia Fashions, and in the 1990s Kinnear Baxter used it as an office.