Historically in
Dunbartonshire, before the
local government reorganisation in Scotland in 1975 it formed part of the small Joint
Burgh of Cove and
Kilcreggan. It remained in
Dumbarton District until 1996 when it was transferred to Argyll and Bute with the rest of the peninsula. In common with many villages in the area, Cove provided summer lodgings for the families of wealthy
Glasgow merchants, shipowners and businesspeople in the 19th century. Several of the large houses have either been converted or have gone. Houses by
Alexander "Greek" Thomson around Cove include:
Knockderry Castle, Craigrownie Castle, Glen Eden,
Craig Ailey, Ferndean and Seymour Lodge, all dating from the 1850s. Hartfield, designed by
Campbell Douglas and completed in 1859, was the summer residence of
James Burns, 3rd Baron Inverclyde and later became a
YMCA hostel before its dereliction and demolition in the 1960s.
Craigrownie Parish Church Cove was completed in 1852, serves the communities of
Ardpeaton, Cove and
Kilcreggan. The church hall, which was built as a church for the
United Presbyterian Church and was completed in 1869, is a building at risk.
Cove Burgh Hall was completed in 1893. ==References==