Barometer Cottage has a very unusual feature.
An original barometer sits in a stone case beside the front door. In the 19th and 20th Centuries it was used by local fisherman to check the weather forecast before heading out to sea.
Barometer Cottage is on Fisher Street on Broughty Ferry’s waterfront. The house was built in 1810, with the barometer dating from 1859.
The B listed, semi-detached cottage has an open plan lounge/dining room on the ground floor, as well as a galley kitchen.
On the upper level there are two double bedrooms and a shower room. The living room and both bedrooms enjoy outstanding views across the Tay.
The current owner has upgraded the house over her time there and it is in immaculate condition.
The cottage has gas central heating, with underfloor heating on the lower level and radiators upstairs.
When Barometer Cottage was built, fishing was Broughty Ferry’s main industry. For many years it was owned by the Bell family and the lane that runs along the side of the cottage is named after them.
Origin story of the barometer
The origin of the cottage’s barometer dates back to Robert Fitzroy. He was captain of HMS Beagle, the vessel that took Darwin on his famous voyage.
Fitzroy became the first chief of the newly founded Met Office. In an attempt to reduce the number of fishermen dying in storms, in 1857 he persuaded the Board of Trade in London to place barometers around Britain’s coastal fishing communities.
Leading instrument maker Negretti and Zambra made the devices. The early focus was on getting them to Scotland, which generally had Britain’s worst weather.
In 1859 a Fitzroy Storm Barometer was fitted at what is now called Barometer Cottage. Sometime in the 1950s or 60s the barometer disappeared from the cottage.
Following a major restoration of the cottage in 2009-10, a Negretti and Zambra storm barometer dating from around 1860 was located.
It is now set in the stone case to the front of the cottage and protected from harm by hardened glass and a steel door.
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