Round Ardlamont

on Jul 29, 2018

Ardlamont, that point that marks where the Kyles of Bute meets lower Loch Fyne and the Kilbrannan Sound has a reputation for stormy passages and strong currents. The picture above shows Arran from Ardlamont and the beauty of the vista is a further notable feature of the landscape. Ardlamont never did have a pier, Ardlamont House, the most important in the area, was conveniently served by Kames or Tighnabruaich. Ardlamont House itself was built around 1820 and was the home of Major General John Lamont. Its major claim to fame, however, came much later in 1893 when it was the scene of a celebrated murder on August 10th of that year. The trial took place in the High Court in Edinburgh before the Lord Justice-Clerk in December and lasted ten days. The prosecution was led by the Solicitor-General, Mr Alexander Asher, and the defence by the notable advocate, John Comrie Thomson. The Scotsman...

Kirn

on Jul 5, 2018

As feuing to the east of Dunoon expanded in the 1840s, the convenience of a pier for this affluent extension of the village towards Kirn became a priority. The pier opened in 1846 and was built opposite the Kirn Inn that had been opened in 1837 and, after the accession of Queen Victoria, changed its name to the Queen’s Hotel, . “Kirn Pier Opening Dinner. On Wednesday last, a most influential and highly respectable company of gentlemen met at dinner in the Wellington Hotel, Dunoon for the purpose of celebrating the completion and opening of the splendid and powerful new wharf at Kirn. The chair was ably filled by John Leadbetter, Esq., the vice-chair by Robert Knox, Esq., writer, Glasgow. To those unacquainted with this important locality, it may be necessary to state, that although the population has been rapidly increasing for years back, the only mode of embarking or disembarking...

Dunoon

on Jun 16, 2018

At the beginning of the steamboat age, Dunoon was not regarded of great importance. It consisted of a few houses and most important, a ferry-inn, the abode of the ferryman on the crossing to the Cloch. In 1820, it is described in Lumsden’s Steamboat Companion:— “The Steam Boats, if required, will land passengers at Dunoon; from whence there is also a road to Inverary by Strachur, to which place gigs can be had, at a moderate rate. From Strachur there is a regular ferry across Lochfine to Creggans, and where boats can be procured direct to Inverary the distance up the loch being about 5 miles “Dunoon is of considerable antiquity, and was once the seat of a castle, very important in point of situation, and often the scene of contest during the violent struggles of clanship. Near the latter period of episcopacy in the Highlands, it was the occasional residence of the bishop of Argyle;...

Southwestern Steamers in L.M.S. days

on May 13, 2018

The post World War I fleets of the Caledonian Steam Packet Co., Ltd. and the Glasgow and South Western Railway Co., Ltd, have been documented in a previous article, along with their amalgamation on January 1, 1923, and the initial years under the control of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Co., Ltd. In 1923, the Glasgow and South Western steamers came under the ownership of the newly formed railway company while the Caledonian steamers remained with the Caledonian Steam Packet Co., allowing them greater freedom to sail to destinations on Kintyre and Loch Fyne. Both sets of steamers retained their hull colours but appeared with yellow funnels with a red band and black top. In the following year, the hull colour was standardized to black. This article follows the steamers from the 1925 season when the red band was removed and the fleet had the yellow black-topped funnel that...

Lochfyne

on May 8, 2018

At the Dumbarton yard of Messrs William Denny & Brothers, Ltd., on March 20, 1931, Lochfyne was named by Lady Stamp, wife of Sir Josiah Stamp, President of the L.M.S. Railway Co., and she slid down the ways to the accompaniment of bagpipe music. So began the story of a vessel built for the Clyde and West Highland trade of Messrs David Macbrayne (1928) Ltd., with an innovative Diesel-electric propulsion. The year 1927 had not been kind to Messrs Macbrayne. In that year, two fine paddle steamers, Chevalier and Grenadier had been lost and the subsequent reorganization of the struggling company promised the addition of four new vessels to the fleet. The Lochfyne was the last of the four, and some idea of the novelty she provided can be gleaned from her description in “The Rock” magazine. “Twin Screw Diesel-Electric Vessel Lochfyne “This vessel has recently been delivered to Messrs...

Pirnmill and the west of Arran

on Apr 29, 2018

The hamlet of Pirnmill on the west coast of Arran derives its name from the mill set up by the Clark family of Paisley for the production of bobbins or pirns. The photograph above shows the pirn mill itself after it became Currie’s grocer and general merchants. With the advent of the steamboat, Pirnmill became a calling point, served by a ferry-boat. It was the Campbeltown and Glasgow Steam Packet Co. that opened up the trade and included the ferry stop in its itinerary, and for many years this was the only regular stop on the west coast of Arran. In the 1860s, the steamboat Herald was placed on a new route to Campbeltown from Fairlie and it called at the ferries of Pirnmill, Machrie and Blackwaterfoot, favouring the Arran shore of the Kilbrannan Sound rather than Carradale and the Kintyre shore. Indeed the calls at Blackwaterfoot and Machrie were also made by the turbine steamers...

Erskine Ferry

on Apr 25, 2018

There has been a crossing point of the Clyde at Erskine for about as long as records have been kept. In fact there were two crossings, the West Ferry, closer to Dumbarton and the East Ferry, at Old Kilpatrick. The early ferries were rowed across and also provided a connection to the early steamboats passing on the river. Unfortunately there were accidents. “Friday afternoon, at Erskine Ferry, a ferry-boat, containing three passengers and the boatman, was run down by the Helensburgh steam-boat. The passengers were immediately picked up, owing to the activity of the crew of the Helensburgh, but the boatman never rose. We understand that no blame whatever can be attached to the persons who managed the steam-boat, the unhappy accident being entirely attributable to the unskillful conduct of the poor man who has lost his life. He was from the Isle of Mull.—Edinburgh Observer”—The Globe,...

Hoppers

on Mar 27, 2018

I’ve a special liking for the work of the Wishaw photographer, Charles Reid whose photographs of animals, both domestic and wild are delightful. This unusual photograph entitled “Gulls” brings to the fore a sight that was at one time very familiar on the river and estuary of the Clyde; the modest hopper. Designed to take the spoil from the dredging of the river and harbour, hoppers were self-propelled and took the place of mud punts that continued in use until the 1880s and beyond. Mud punts had sufficed when the dredged material was used as fill on the river banks, but with the widening of the river, it was necessary to move the material over much greater distances. The first of the hoppers came from the yard of Messrs William Simons & Co., Renfrew, in 1862. The vessel could be filled with spoil and then sail to the dumping ground in deep water where the bottom of the hold opened...