Seeing double in Islay

on May 1, 2026

No, this is not an essay on the effects of overindulgence in the island of Islay’s most famous peaty export, though research on that topic might well be more stimulating than combing through newspaper articles. Rather it has its nascence in my time as a student, when I worked on developing the skills of naked eye stereopsis to explore three-dimensional structures from pairs of two-dimensional, computer-generated pictures. This fascinating trick is now redundant with modern computer graphics, but it harks back to another age, beginning in the 1850s, in the early days of photography, when stereophotography came into vogue. Scotland led the pack in its development. The history of the subject has been covered in a marvelous book. “Scotland in 3D,” by Peter Blair, (Reigate, 2018). My own small collection is mostly of Scottish maritime stereoviews, and one particular item is the subject of...

Colour in the Highlands and Islands

on Aug 1, 2025

One of the most viewed articles on this site is “Colour on the Clyde” where a collection of coloured postcards of the steamers in Edwardian times are presented in more or less chronological order. A similar treatment might be possible for the steamers of the West Highlands and Islands. However, the material is much more scarce, and the general quality of the postcards is not as good as that for the Clyde, with less focus on steamers, and rather more on their surroundings. Some of the best material is published in Ian M‘Crorie’s book, “Steamers of the Highlands and Islands”, published by Orr, Pollock, & Co., Ltd., Greenock in 1987. This article will duplicate some of the material from that book but sourced exclusively from my own collection. No attempt will be made to produce a chronological order, and the best way to present the material focuses on the different routes on which the...

Sailing to Islay

on Feb 13, 2016

Sailings by steamboat from West Loch Tarbert to the Highlands and Islands began with the Maid of Islay in the 1820s. The route became an established connection with the Castle Company and subsequently Messrs Hutcheson and their successor Messrs Macbrayne. The West Loch towards its head was shallow and consequently the steamers serving the Islay and Jura routes were paddle steamers.  By the middle of the 1880s, Messrs Macbrayne were using the Fingal of 1877, sailing to Islay. Fingal at West Loch Tarbert There were complaints about Fingal on the service and in 1890, the veteran Glencoe was placed on the route until replaced by Pioneer in 1905. Glencoe at West Loch Tarbert Glencoe at Port Ellen, Islay, with the puffer Elizabeth Messrs Macbraynes also provided an alternative sea route to Islay using the two-funneled Islay, purchased second-hand as Princess Louise from the Stranraer and...