Strachur
| Strachur | |
| Argyllshire | |
|---|---|
 Creggans Hotel, Strachur | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 56°9’59"N, 5°4’3"W |
| Data | |
| Postcode: | PA27 |
| Dialling code: | 01369 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Argyll and Bute |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Argyll and Bute |
Strachur is a parish on the west side of the Cowal peninsula in Argyllshire. It is located seven miles south of the A83, linking Loch Lomond and A82 to Inveraray, Lochgilphead and Campbeltown, and is 23 miles north of Dunoon, the main town of the Cowal peninsula.
Geography
The area around Strachur borders the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The parish is bounded along its north-west side by Loch Fyne and it is bounded on other sides by the parishes of Lochgoilhead, Dunoon and Kilmun, Kilmodan and Strathlachlan. It is mostly uplands, and altitudes rise to 3,000 feet.
Loch Eck touches the parish for three miles on the south-east.
Local transport is by bus with a regular service between Dunoon and Inveraray, and Dunoon and Carrick Castle, situated south of Lochgoilhead on Loch Goil. Access to Inveraray used to be via the ferry from St Catherine's just north of Strachur. This ferry closed in the 1960s.
The name 'Strachur' comes from the Gaelic for 'Valley (srath) of the Cur' - Cur being the name of the river flowing from the hills east of Strachur village, turning south to flow into Loch Eck.
The parish church of Strachur dates from 1789 and can accommodate 400.
Amenities
Strachur has a Post Office, a hotel/bar, the well-known Creggans Inn, and a local bar, the Clachan. The village Memorial and New halls host events local and for the whole of Cowal and beyond.
The local smiddy, which closed as a blacksmiths in the 1950s after over 150 years and four generations of the Montgomery family of smiths, is now the Smiddy Museum, open from Easter to 30 September.
Strachur has its own post office though as of 2013 it is open only 3 days a week and is under threat of closure.[1][2]
Strachur Medical Practice covers a massive geographical area reaching from Cairndow to Strathlachlan. As of 2012 the GP claimed his practice was close to bankruptcy because of NHS funding changes.[3]
Famous residents
By tradition, Strachur has been held as one of the original strongholds of Clan Campbell, and in 1870 the principal landowners of the parish were Campbell of Strachur and McLachlan of that ilk. The principal country houses there at that time were Strachur Park, Castle Lachlan, Strachurmore, Glenshellis, Balliemore, and Glenbranter. Strachur House was bought by Fitzroy MacLean and is currently the residence of his son, Charles MacLean. The MacLachlan family still reside on the Strathlachlan estate. The walls of Old Castle Lachlan are currently being restored. Younger members of the MacLachlan clan currently run Inver Cottage, one of Argyll's Seafood Trail restaurants, with its lovely views over Loch Fyne and the old castle keep.
Probably the most famous “son of Strachur” was John Campbell of Strachur (1727-1806), although Sir Harry Lauder was the laird of the Glenbranter estate, between Lock Eck and Strachur, in the first half of the twentieth century. Much of the Glenbranter estate was subsequently acquired by the Forestry Commission, who encourage public access to the land. During the 1930s, the Ministry of Labour opened a work camp on the estate for young unemployed men. Known as Instructional Centres, the camp regime sought to 'harden' the unemployed, many of whom came from industrial West of Scotland and had previously worked in mining or other industries hit by depression, and prepare them for work elsewhere. The Glenbranter camp hit the headlines in 1935 when the trainees organised public walk-outs, and again in 1936 when there was a mass meeting to protest against conditions.
During World War II, Glenbranter House and grounds were taken over by Combined Operations. It became a landing craft signals school & was designated as a Royal Navy shore establishment & named 'HMS Pasco'. The Forestry Commission failed to maintain the mansion house and it fell into continual decay and was demolished in the 1960s.
Sport
Strachur is also the name of the local Shinty team. They reached the Camanachd Cup final in 1983, losing to local rivals Kyles Athletic. The 2008 UK swamp football championships were held in Strachur in June 2008.[4]
References
Specific
- ↑ "Argyll News: Strachur Post Office under threat of closure". For Argyll. 2013-06-12. http://forargyll.com/2013/06/strachur-post-office-under-threat-of-closure/. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
- ↑ "Reduced Hours At Strachur Post Office". Dunoon-observer.com. 2013-06-13. http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php/news/the-news/6107-reduced-hours-at-strachur-post-office. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
- ↑ "‘Bankrupt’ Practice Meeting". dunoon-observer.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. http://web.archive.org/web/20120314013311/http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php/news/latest-news/3922-bankrupt-practice-seeks-funds. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
- ↑ "UK | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Village hosts swamp soccer games". BBC News. 2008-06-20. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7465475.stm. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
General
- Wilson, Rev.John Marius, The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, Fullarton & Co., London & Edinburgh, n/d but c1872, p. 761.
- Wallace, William, Harry Lauder in the Limelight, Lewes, Sussex, 1988.
- Field, John, Learning through Labour: Training, unemployment and the state, 1890-1939, University of Leeds, 1992
- http://www.combinedops.com/
- Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Marlow R.N. 'Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy', Maritime Books 1992 & 2000.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Strachur) |