The Isle of Bute didn’t avoid the bad weather this time around

I’ve been looking outside for the past few days and counting myself and my neighbours to be lucky, for once.

In the storms and gales that have arrived over the past few years, I’ve seen many walls blown over, bricks and tiles ripped off roofs, and anything light (such as a felt-covered roof) being torn loose and carried away, never to be seen again. Last year saw many trees blown over to, with some landing on nearby houses.

This year, even though I have watched some alarming leaning and bending by some structures, I’ve yet to see the same sort of thing repeated. So far, all I have come across is some hefty branches ripped off tall trees, and they looked weakened by disease or decay. Part of this I put down to the number of repairs and renewals made after the damage of past years, but I still think we’ve been lucky, and the hills around Glasgow have sheltered us – this time.

Less fortunate of areas near me seems to have been the coastal areas of the Firth of Clyde, and after some hearing some descriptions of local damage in the area, got to see the sort of damage that the Isle of Bute suffered. While it has not escaped completely in recent years, it often seems to get off lightly, and when I used to take a jaunt over at Christmas and Hogmanay, was often surprised at just how nice it could be there, even though it was only a few miles away from ‘home,’, where things were not so cosy.

Click on the first picture below, which shows damage to the unfortunate roof of one of Rothesay’s fine ornate tenement buildings on East Princes Street, to see a gallery of the damage done on January 3, 2011.

Damaged tenement roof, January 2011 © Zak

OUCH!

Updated pic by Zak showing the hidden side of the damage caught in the pic above:

Damaged tenement roof, January 2011 © Zak

And finally…

I’m pleased to see that the (presumably) last pic in this series confirmed my location of the unfortunate roof shown above (which was not really difficult):

Damaged tenement, January 2011 © Zak

Update

I noticed another pic that perhaps serves to convey how serious things were, not only on the island itself, but (as I was informed by others) anywhere in this particular corner of Argyll and  Bute served by the same electrical supply.

Heavy winds knocked out the supply from  about 7 am on the 3rd until about 1 am on the 4th!

Below is a pic Zak took of a snack bar ferried over from the mainland to provide hot meals on the 3rd.

Bad as things were, seeing this is actually a good thing as it meant the weather had subsided, and the island was not suffering the additional hard of being cut off from the mainland by the high winds, which can force the ferries to stay in port because of the risks involved with going to sea.

Snack bar ferried from the mainland, January 2011 © Zak

Bute’s wee ferry crossing could be extended to midnight

An intriguing variation on the various ways that the Isle of Bute’s ferry service could be extended appeared in the news.

While I’m sure some group or other will probably appear dedicated to rubbishing the proposal, it has the advantage of being workable and economic, if not ideal for those who want to play at living on an island.

I’m told by long-term residents that calls for extensions to the big ferry have been made by a vocal few in the past, and when this extended service was tried – next to nobody turned up to use it. It doesn’t take the greatest imagination in the world to work how expensive it is to sail the MVs Bute and Argyll between Wemyss Bay and Rothesay – empty. Once, let alone on a number of late night sailings.

THE Rhubodach-Colintraive ferry timetable could be extended through to midnight each day, the Scottish Government has suggested.

A draft plan for the future of the country’s ferry services suggests that extending the timetable of the Kyles crossing “could bring substantial benefit to the local economy”, while at the same time being the most cost-effective way of bridging the gap between Bute’s current service and a ‘needs based assessment’ which recommends an operating day from 6am until midnight.

via Kyles ferry crossing ‘could be extended to midnight’ – Local Headlines – The Buteman.

Such a proposal would certainly suit an occasional touring visitor like me, and reflects my normal journey to and from the island.

Being an owl rather than a lark, I amble down to Wemyss Bay in the morning (deliberately avoiding the busiest early sailings) and buy a Hopscotch ticket, allowing me to travel over on the big ferry, and return by the wee ferry when it suit me.

The wee ferry effectively runs run during daylight hours, so the last sailing off the island during summer is between 21:00 and 22:00 (depending when I am there), but more importantly for me, it runs later than the big ferry – a difference I have often depended on.

Unlike the failed and wasteful extensions tried on the big ferry (not my assessment, but that of islanders I knew at the time), I hope this one at least gets a trial run for a while, and is not dismissed out of hand by the ‘vocal few’.

A little different from the usual view on the water, one of the wee ferries (which would be MV Loch Dunvegan if the name was in view, and RoRo sister MV Loch Alain behind) caught recently by Zak as it prepares for its next trip across the waters, which sees it risk itself daily (I’m funning!) to bridge the gap of almost 300 metres between the mainland and the island at the Kyles of Bute:

The wee ferry, MV Loch Dunvegan, at Rhubodach © Zak

Christmas fun at Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute

If you’re lucky enough to be on Bute at the right time, then there’s an excuse to drop in to Mount Stuart for some events related to Christmas:

Mount Stuart Christmas Fair

Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th December

10am – 5pm

Celebrate the festive season in traditional style at Mount Stuart’s Christmas Fair. A food & craft market, festive entertainment, mulled wine and mince pies, Santa’s grotto and much more. A great place to shop for all your presents and welcome in the festive season!

Admission to the Mount Stuart Christmas Fair on 3rd and 4th December is free, as is parking.

Carol Service by Candlelight

Monday 19th December

7pm An atmospheric evening of Christmas Carols in Mount Stuart’s Marble Hall, a perfect way to celebrate the festive season!

Please call (01700) 503877 for further information

Event details are correct at time of print, however all events are subject to change and/or cancellation at short notice – please call Mount Stuart on 01700 503877 to confirm, or email: contactus@mountstuart.com

via Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute, Scotland (Events page).

The Archaeological Landscape of Bute – RCAHMS Publication

Received from RCAHMS:

Lying among the sea lochs of southern Argyll, near the centre of the ancient waterways that once connected Scotland to Ireland and beyond, the Isle of Bute is a treasure trove of thousands of years of archaeological remains. With earliest occupation by hunter gatherers estimated at around 9,000 BC, the island’s remarkable landscapes feature a wealth of monuments ranging from standing stones, chambered tombs and forts, to monasteries, castles and industrial cotton mills.

Drawing on the results of a groundbreaking survey carried out by RCAHMS in partnership with members of the local community, authors Alex Hale and George Geddes take readers on a fascinating journey through the diverse layers of Bute’s past. With detailed maps, plans and photographs providing the most comprehensive ever guide to the island’s sites of interest, The Archaeological Landscape of Bute offers an unparalleled insight into one of Scotland’s richest historical environments.

“Embodies the classic virtues of the Royal Commission’s work: beautifully produced and illustrated with stunning aerial photographs, new site plans, and material from many other sources, clearly and succinctly written . . . a gem of a book” Archaeology Scotland

The Archaeological Landscape of Bute was published in 2010 following two years fieldwork by RCAHMS and DBLPS. Although the print run has sold out, the book has now been turned into a free download available on this page.

The downloadable PDF has been enhanced so that readers can search for details of each site mentioned in the book. Click on any of the site numbers and you will be taken to the RCAHMS Canmore database for more details.

via The Archaeological Landscape of Bute – RCAHMS Publications – RCAHMS.

The download referred to can be obtained here:

The Archaeological Landscape of Bute – pdf

Mention of landscape demands a pic, but while I was looking through the galleries Zak has built up over the years it became obvious there was no ‘typical’ view, and that the scenic variation is one of the real attraction of the island.

With that in mind, the appearance of a rainbow in this view made it something of a preferred choice…

Rainbow on Bute © Zak

The correct name escapes me (oops), but if I’m thinking of the right spot, then there a picnic area with tables and benches just to the right of the area shown.

For more of the same, try:

Bute is Beautiful Photo Gallery by Zak at pbase.com

Second Baird of Bute commemorative event for 2011

After the success of last year’s centenary event: The first Scottish powered flight « Secret Scotland, when the first powered flight in Scotland was commemorated and the airstrip near Kingarth on the Isle of Bute was named Baird Airstrip in honour of Andrew Baird (on the 60th anniversary of his death), the celebrations are to make a return this year.

Scheduled to begin on the morning of Saturday, September 24, 2011, light aircraft will arrive at Baird Airstrip until 10:30 am, and will be on display to the public from 11:00 am onwards. Parking, refreshments, entertainment, and toilets will be available, and the pilots will be on hand to discuss their aircraft, most (if not all) of which will have been home-built.

In the afternoon, activity will move to Ettrick Bay where, at approximately 1:30 pm, a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter will carry out a simulated rescue from the waters of the bay, to be followed (at approximately 2:00 pm) by a fly past of the aircraft seen earlier at the airstrip.

At 2:45 pm, a short ceremony will be held marking the 60th anniversary of Andrew Baird’s death on September 9, 1951, with a wreath being laid on the monument which was erected last year.

Baird airstrip opening (2010) - Courtesy of Zak

There will also be a kite flying competition, with some two hundred children from the island’s schools being invited to participate again this year.

Mount Stuart provides a further venue for activities from 2:00 pm onwards, including family games on an aviation theme, and displays by the Bute Astronomical Society, and a ceilidh in the evening.

Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute, Scotland

From 2:30 pm, the University of Edinburgh Hot Air Balloon Club will be offering flights about the island.

At 4:15 pm, there will be a thirty minute aerobatic display by Scottish pilot Jim McTaggart (I assume in his Starduster Too stunt aircraft).

The Baird of Bute Society will also be hard at work during the day, hoping to recruit new members to the society.

Home – Baird of Bute Society

Finally, if the Saturday should be a washout, events are to be rescheduled for Sunday, September 25, other than the ceilidh, which will still take place at Mount Stuart on the Saturday evening,

From:

Welcome return for ‘Baird of Bute’ celebrations – Community – The Buteman

I used to have a web site link with details of the airfield, but it seems to have died and not been replaced in recent years, but I did note the following a while ago (so check for yourself, as this is not claimed to be current information for flight purposes):

The airfield is a grass strip about 480 metres long. 09/27 runs slightly uphill if using 09.

There is a local frequency of 135.475 call sign Bute Traffic.

Care is advised when landing on 27 – a gap is reported in the trees, but the road may still have hidden traffic, and if the strip is wet, braking action is reported to be poor downhill.

PPR is from the Bute Estate Office on 01700 502627 or nick.mellish@bute-estate.com

View Larger Map

Update

By all accounts, the day was favoured with good attendance – some 18 aircraft were reported at the field – and the promised events were able to go ahead as planned, since the weather stayed fair on the day. Even the post-hurricane winds and rain we ‘enjoyed’ during the week went away, so the hot air balloon was ably to fly at Mount Stuart.

Click on the montage below to see a full gallery of the day’s events on Bute:

Baird of Bute 2011 gallery - courtesy of Zak

Rothesay initiatives announced

I’ve already had the pleasure of mentioning the funding awarded to my favourite haunt of Rothesay (and to a few other places badly in need of help to restore and regenerate them, after the near death-blow the package holiday deals of the 1970′s dealt to them) – see Scottish towns – and Parkhead Cross – secure significant restoration grants and Rothesay buildings to benefit from £500,000 for examples and a more detailed inclusion of relevant links.

On June 3, 2011, Argyll and Bute Council announced the launch of the Rothesay Townscape Heritage Initiative:

Published Date: 3 Jun 2011 – 16:14

June 11th will see the launch of the Rothesay Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI). Over the next 5 years the project aims to improve the entrance into Bute by enhancing the built fabric of the town with particular focus around Guildford Square.It has already secured £2.6 million in funding from Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland, LEADER and Argyll and Bute Council via the CHORD programme.

In celebration of this, an exhibition is being held in the Pavilion cafe from 1-4pm on the day. All are welcome and it will be possible to speak to the project team about the aims and objectives of the heritage-led regeneration scheme.

Over the next 4-5 years, the project seeks to secure the good repair of five priority buildings and to reinstate a building back on the Guildford Square gap site by offering grant to property owners. Grant aid will also be available to help enhance and reinstate traditional shopfronts on Albert Place and Guildford Square and to make more modest repairs to historic buildings throughout the THI area.

This also announced the involvement of RCAHMS with the conservation aspects of the works:

On June 11th, representatives from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) will support the conservation objectives of the THI by displaying their work on the character areas of Bute. Lynn Kilpatrick, Urban Survey Projects Manager at RCAHMS will give a presentation on the results of their work looking at the town, and will be available to answer questions and direct people to the results via the organisations’ online database Canmore.

Rothesay Townscape Heritage Initiative

Date:  11 Jun 2011 – 12:30 – 16:00

Summary: If you live in the Rothesay THI area or are interested in conserving Rothesay’s heritage for future generation, come along to our information event

Venue: Pavilion cafe, Rothesay

Area: Bute and Cowal

Contact: lorna.pearce@argyll-bute.gov.uk

If you live in the Rothesay Townscape Heritage area or are interested in conserving Rothesay’s heritage for future generations, come along to the Townscape Heritage Initiative information event.

Where: Pavilion cafe, Rothesay

When: Saturday 11th June

Times: 12.30 pm – presentation by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland in the Lesser Hall

1pm to 4pm – Townscape Heritage Initiative and Glasgow School of Art displays in the cafe.

For more information, please see our news release from 3rd June.

Rothesay THI makes grants available to secure the good repair of historic buildings in and around Rothesay’s Guildford Square. Grants will be available for three schemes:

• Priority Building Repair Grant,
• Small Building Repair Grant,
• Shopfront Repair Grant

Guildford Square

One of the key areas that seems to have been identified as a beneficiary of the work is Guildford Square, seen below receiving some emergency remedial work in April 2010, when the old, empty, derelict shops in the gap were demolished and removed, such was their level of decay. Hopefully, the new works and funding will allow the town’s heritage to be saved rather than scrapped, as much has been lost over the recent decade or two.

Guildford Square works 2010 © Zak

Catch some more views of Rothesay here: Zak’s Photo Galleries at pbase.com

With luck, this will become a valuable ‘Before and After” archive of the works referred to, and become a reference which can be used to judge their effectiveness.

Rothesay buildings to benefit from £500,000

One of the best sights I’ve enjoyed over the years has been the approach to Rothesay aboard the ‘Big’ ferry, as it passes the various mansions and villas along Mount Stuart road on its final approach to the pier, and the town’s unmistakable waterfront.

Rothesay front and esplanade © Zak

You can find many more views of this area of Rothesay in Zak’s Reflections Photo Gallery.

I can’t say exactly when, perhaps a decade or two (maybe even longer as my perception of anything further back than about five years is vague to say the least), the buildings along Argyle Street and behind the esplanade benefited from something of a tidy up, and a splash of paint, and looked all the better for it.

Since then, without criticism, it’s probably fair to say that the pot must have run dry after that, as there was little maintenance carried out afterwards, and the salty sea air took it toll over the years. A number of shops, and some dwellings, were given up, becoming abandoned and derelict, with some having been demolished in recent years due to their dangerous condition, and the start of 2011 being marked by reports of pieces falling into the street, and just missing pedestrians.

Thankfully, there is now news of both funds and help to assist with local efforts to restore the town’s waterfront view, following an announcement by Scotland’s Culture Minister, Fiona Hyslop.

Historic Scotland’s Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme will be contributing towards the Townscape Heritage Initiative, and a sum of £499,933 will be available to help with Argyll and Bute Council’s plans for what has been described as ‘Scotland’s largest conservation area’.

Together with the straight funding, the council and building owners gain access to expertise and guidance, and residents within the conservation area regeneration scheme will be able to apply for grants in the summer.

Perhaps I’ll manage to make the trip this year. Ever since I made the mistake of tempting fate by making arrangements to meet some friends on the island a few years ago, I have singularly failed to make what had been something of an annual ‘away day’ ever since, as various mishaps have conspired to thwart ‘best laid plans. White Van Man even managed to ruin my car one year – and he was going backwards when he did it! And that was just after I managed to fix the damage one of Argyll’s deer had done the year before.

Rothesay Pavilion redevelopment proves popular

Rothesay Pavilion

It seems that the most adventurous plan for the redevelopment of Rothesay’s Art Deco pavilion have also proven to be the most popular with the locals.

The exhibition of various options we mentioned recently took place to a good response, and the most adventurous (and expensive) of three possibilities has been reported to be the most popular of the offerings.

This plan would see the main hall being reduced in size, with the side wings utilised for meeting rooms or gallery space, and the construction of a first-floor gallery, said to be a feature that would restore the hall to its present seating capacity, despite the initial size reduction.

This plan also see the top floor of the pavilion being reopened for public use, with the possibility of a partial conversion to hotel accommodation – those responsible for the project claim their research has revealed a lack of top-end bedrooms on the island (I’m not so sure about that one – we’ll see).

Whatever the ultimate outcome, it’s good to see such interest being generated and followed up, together with the financial commitment Argyll and Bute Council has pledged to ensure the project goes forward. Building such as the pavilion can only come under increasing threat in the future, as they become older and in need of maintenance.

We don’t want to see them go the same way as many of the Clyde cost’s picture palace, razed to make way for flats, such as was the case with the Regal a few years ago, and the Winter Gardens, which may be coming under threat again, after enjoying a successful decade after its rescue around the turn of the millennium.

Read more:

Pavilion plans grab Bute public’s attention – Buteman Today

Open day to show proposals for Rothesay Pavilion project

Rothesay Pavilion

Rothesay Pavilion is one of our favourite buildings, so we keep an eye out for any news regarding the building’s forthcoming regeneration.

The Prince’s Regeneration Trust – leading the development of plans for the building’s future – is hosting a drop-in event at the Pavilion this Sunday, November 7, 2010, along with architects Elder & Cannon, the Bute Community Land Company, and other partners in the team working towards the renewal of the structure.

Members of the public are invited to come along, and have their say on the proposed option for the classic Art Deco building, and Sunday will be the first time the various option will be placed on display.

Argyll and Bute Council – Rothesay Pavilion Project

The event runs from 11 am until 4 pm on the day, with refreshments and home baking being provided.

Read more:

Rothesay Pavilion plans to go on public display – Buteman Today

Comments and feedback from any readers that are able to attend this event would be most appreciated.

Mount Stuart welcomes 500,000 visitors

It was with some surprise I saw the news that Mount Stuart, grand home of the Marquess of Bute – Johnny Bute (possibly better known to some as racing driver Johnny Dumfries) – had just seen its 500,000th visitor across the door (on Sunday, October 3) since it opened to the public in 1995. The lucky visitor arrived by coach just after lunchtime on Sunday, and was presented with a hamper of Bute goodies and local produce which included a picnic blanket, cheese, chutneys and preserves, tablet, edible seaweed, gingerbread and a selection of Mount Stuart souvenirs.

Justifiably described as Britain’s most astounding Victorian gothic mansion, I would recommend taking the guided tour when visiting, on the first occasion at least, as the amount of detail the guides are able to point out during the walk is well in excess of what one might spot if searching alone.

Destroyed by fire in 1877, the present Mount Stuart became the fantasy creation of the 3rd Marquess of Bute and his architect Sir Robert Rowan Anderson. The house was never finished, and much of it was only completed as part of an ambitious restoration programme which the late 6th Marquess began in the 1980s. A visit to the house will show a number of features that appear to be incomplete, and the guides point these out as indications of the various stages in the painstaking work involved in creating the rich detail of the decoration.

This year also sees the house remaining open throughout October, which is a month longer than it has been previously.

Read more:

Tourism milestone as Mount Stuart welcomes 500,000th visitor – Buteman Today

It was a bit of a shock to realise how much time had passed since we first visited the house, back in 1998, so even that had taken three years to organise, I didn’t realise then that there would be an opportunity to make a repeat visit, as things really did fall apart around me not too long after that, and I joined the ranks of the country’s carers for a while.

One of the nice surprises that came around a few years ago arrived when the BBC used Mount Stuart as one of the featured locations for one of its Castles in the country series, which included not only the house and grounds, but also a number of features around the Isle of Bute, which covered some of the lesser known features of the island, and also parts of the house not normally seen by visitors.

I’m grateful to be able to include one of Zak’s shots of the house (mine would be a dull conversion from film to digital), which is not of the more usual rear of the house – which faces the Clyde and looks towards Largs – but shows the front of the house, where the white wing dates from the original build, prior to a fire in 1877. The difference in style should be easy to see.

Behind this older part of the building can be seen the marble chapel, notably finished internally with a stunning white marble, and topped by a lantern within the spire (the tallest part of the house) which contains deep red glazing and provides a memorable sight.

 

Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute © Zak