Ballachulish
Encyclopedia
The village of Ballachulish (ˌbæləˈxuːlɪʃ or ˌbæləˈhuːlɪʃ; , from Scottish Gaelic Baile a' Chaolais baləˈxɯ:lˠ̪ɪʃ) in Lochaber
, Highland
, Scotland
, is centred around former slate
quarries
. The name Ballachulish (Ballecheles, 1522 - Straits town,) was more correctly applied to the area now called North Ballachulish, to the north of Loch Leven
, but was usurped for the quarry villages at East Laroch and West Laroch, either side of the River Laroch, which were actually within Glencoe
and South Ballachulish respectively.
, although most visitors pass swiftly by the village itself.
The name Ballachulish (from Scottish Gaelic, Baile a' Chaolais) means "the Village by the Narrows". The narrows
in question is Caolas Mhic Phàdraig - Peter or Patrick's son's narrows, at the mouth of Loch Leven.
As there was no road to the head of Loch Leven, until it was built in 1927, the Ballachulish ferry, established in 1733, and those at Invercoe/Callert and Caolas na Con were essential. The Ballachulish ferry closed in December 1975 when the Ballachulish Bridge
finally opened.
The Ballachulish Hotel and Ballachulish House (until recently [2010] a country house hotel) located near the narrows at (south) Ballachulish Ferry rather than in the 'modern' village some three miles east. Ballachulish House was reputed to be haunted, and the drive leading to it was ridden by a headless horseman.
The hamlet of Glenachulish
lies in Gleann a' Chaolais, the glen that runs down to the narrows. This is the subject of the Gaelic song, Gleann Bhaile Chaoil written by John Cameron (1865–1951) and known locally both as the Paisley Bard and by his local nickname Iain Cealaidh. He is often confused with another local bard also called John Cameron, known locally as Iain Rob (1822–1898). Gleann a' Chaolais is ringed by Beinn a' Bheithir
, a massif which contains two munros - Sgorr Dhearg and Sgorr Dhonuill. In recent years a number of new houses have been built locally along with holiday chalets and an art gallery
. In recent years, the fields of Gleann a' Chaolais have been turned into a 9-hole golf course
.
Overlooking the narrows is the monument to James of the Glen
, "hanged on this spot for a crime of which he was not guilty". Robert Louis Stevenson
based his novel Kidnapped around the story of the Appin Murder
. Whoever did kill the Red Fox (Campbell of Glenure) is still not known, but the story is a reminder that a people subject to unjust occupation and persecution, as the Jacobite
Highlanders were, will sometimes resort to violence and rebellion.
is a popular local sport and the village is the traditional boundary of the North/South divide in shinty, with teams north of the village playing in the North district's competitions and those South playing in their respective competitions. Ballachulish
's shinty team plays in the South Leagues. However, Ballachulish is still considerably far North in relation to most of Scotland. The Club has won the Camanachd Cup
four times.
, from , was opened to Ballachulish. The site of the former railway halt of , the penultimate stop on the line before the Laroch quarries, was next to Ballachulish House, some half mile inland from the ferry. Traces of the line, which closed in 1966, remain between here and Connel Ferry. The old terminus station at Laroch (Ballachulish) is now an award winning Doctor's surgery. The station, and stationmaster's house, at , is now a private house and the station at , some 20 miles south, has been refurbished in its old traditional Caledonian Railway
brown. The station at Kentallen
(5 miles south of Ballachulish) included a pier. When this Oban-Ballachulish branch line closed the station buildings were bought over by Scottie & Bridget Stewart who ran the renowned Kentallen Station Tearooms for more than 15 years until finally retiring in 1974. Apparently afternoon tea here was a spectacular feast. This station has now been turned into The Holly Tree Hotel & Leisure Club. Parts of the old railway line are being changed (2008) into a cycle/walking track allowing again the beautiful views previously seen from the train.
and Glasgow
's skyline in the succeeding centuries. It is of good quality but one weakness is the presence of Iron Pyrite in the rock. These crystals quickly rust away when exposed to the weather, leaving clean square holes and a brown rusty streak. Over 75% of the slate cut from the quarries was unusable as roof covering for this and other reasons. The quarries closed in 1955. Optimistically, tests have recently (2008/9) been carried out to see if it is feasible to extract slate from them again.
Between 1902 and 1905 the Ballachulish community was badly affected by two protracted conflicts in the slate quarries. The first began in July 1902, involved a twelve months lockout
, and lasted eighteen months. The workers objected to the summary dismissal of the medical officer Dr. Lachlan Grant from both his work in the quarries and his post as Medical Officer for the Parish Council District of Ballachulish. They also objected to the unsatisfactory labour contracts, inadequate wages and excessive charges for the powder, coals and other materials supplied by the company.
The second dispute started in the summer of 1905 when members of a hostile crowd charged the quarry manager with autocratic, dictatorial and unfair behaviour towards both Dr. Grant and members of the quarrying labour force and the community.
A new company was formed in December 1907 and quarrying continued at Ballachulish until 1955.
and Duror alone being eligible. This allowed a pleasant rivalry in feats of skill between youth of the neighbouring districts and encouraged a fondness for outdoor sports.
The Ballachulish men excelled in throwing the hammer and putting the stone and the Glencoe men in leaping and racing, while the Lochaber
(Onich) men carried off the place for vaulting with the pole, one of them clearing a height of 8 feet 8 inches and would have done more if required. The Glencoe lads are keener athletes than the Ballachulish ones. They stand almost unequalled at the game of shinty and on Saturday a plucky Glencoe lad was to be seen at every contest, no matter what his chances of winning might be. The Ballachulish lads are muscular and strong and should give a good account of themselves in any fray; but they do not show the same amount of Celtic fire for field sports as their neighbours of Carnoch (Glencoe).
Excellent music was supplied by the pipe band
of F Company (A.H.R.V.) and added greatly to the enjoyment of the day. The committee of judges were:- Messrs A. Beatson Bell, D. Campbell, J.B. Chinery Haldane, Major-Gen. Macpherson, D. McCalman, W.H.S. Napier, R. Philips and F.S. Robertson. The difficult duty of judging the dancing and pipe music was kindly and satisfactorily performed by Mrs. Robertson, Callart, and Major-Gen. Macpherson assisted by Mr. McIver, Callart House, in the latter case.
Events were - Hammer
; Stone
; High jump
; Vaulting with pole
; Long race; Boys’ race; Short race; Sack race
; Three-leg race
; Pipe music; Highland Fling
; Reels
; Sword dance
; Hornpipe
.
The contrast between the local informal competitions and the more formal 'arranged' games can be traced through to the second half of the century. Into the former category could be placed events such as the Ballachulish regatta 'got up by working men' at the slate quarries, which was accompanied by land sports. At these gatherings the traditional sports - throwing the hammer and the stone (both heavy and light), racing and leaping (high jump and long jump) - were pursued as 'trials of strength, swiftness and agility'...The caber
seldom featured in local informal sports events arranged by local people as distinct from formal Highland Gatherings stage managed by non locals.
church has some fine gravestones which, unlike many others, look as if they were engraved 'yesterday', having been made from Ballachulish slate.
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
, Highland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, is centred around former slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
quarries
Quarries
Quarries - The "Royal Quarries" — not found in Scripture — is the namegiven to the vast caverns stretching far underneath the northern hill, Bezetha, on which Jerusalem is built. Out of these mammoth caverns stones, a hard limestone, have been quarried in ancient times for the buildings in the...
. The name Ballachulish (Ballecheles, 1522 - Straits town,) was more correctly applied to the area now called North Ballachulish, to the north of Loch Leven
Loch Leven (Highlands)
Loch Leven 'is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. It is spelled Loch Lyon in Timothy Pont's map of the areaand is pronounced Li' un. There is a Leven in Lennox and another in Glen Lyon similarly pronounced...
, but was usurped for the quarry villages at East Laroch and West Laroch, either side of the River Laroch, which were actually within Glencoe
Glencoe, Scotland
Glencoe Village is the main settlement in Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It lies at the north-west end of the glen, on the southern bank of the River Coe where it enters Loch Leven a salt-water loch off Loch Linnhe)....
and South Ballachulish respectively.
Overview
The principal industry is now tourismTourism in Scotland
Scotland is a well-developed tourist destination, with tourism generally being responsible for sustaining 200,000 jobs mainly in the service sector, with tourist spending averaging at £4bn per year. Tourists from the United Kingdom make up the bulk of visitors to Scotland...
, although most visitors pass swiftly by the village itself.
The name Ballachulish (from Scottish Gaelic, Baile a' Chaolais) means "the Village by the Narrows". The narrows
Narrows
Narrows is a term for restricted land or water passages. Most commonly it refers to a strait, though it can also refer to a water gap....
in question is Caolas Mhic Phàdraig - Peter or Patrick's son's narrows, at the mouth of Loch Leven.
As there was no road to the head of Loch Leven, until it was built in 1927, the Ballachulish ferry, established in 1733, and those at Invercoe/Callert and Caolas na Con were essential. The Ballachulish ferry closed in December 1975 when the Ballachulish Bridge
Ballachulish Bridge
The Ballachulish Bridge is a bridge in Scotland.It crosses a narrows between South Ballachulish and North Ballachulish on the main [A82] west coast road between Glasgow and Inverness. It opened in 1975, replacing the Ballachulish ferry.Its design was not to everyone's taste, neither was its...
finally opened.
The Ballachulish Hotel and Ballachulish House (until recently [2010] a country house hotel) located near the narrows at (south) Ballachulish Ferry rather than in the 'modern' village some three miles east. Ballachulish House was reputed to be haunted, and the drive leading to it was ridden by a headless horseman.
| Pronunciation | |
|---|---|
| Scots Gaelic: | Baile a' Chaolais |
| Pronunciation: | baləˈxɯ:lˠ̪ɪʃ |
| Scots Gaelic: | Gleann a' Chaolais |
| Pronunciation: | klan̪ˠəˈxɯ:lˠ̪ɪʃ |
| Scots Gaelic: | Gleann Bhaile Chaoil |
| Pronunciation: | klan̪ˠ valə ˈxɯ:l |
| Scots Gaelic: | Iain Cealaidh |
| Pronunciation: | ˈiaɲ ˈkʲʰalˠ̪ɪ |
| Scots Gaelic: | Beinn a' Bheithir |
| Pronunciation: | peɲəˈve.ɪɾʲ |
The hamlet of Glenachulish
Glenachulish
Glenachulish is a hamlet and glen which lie close to the village of Ballachulish in the Scottish Highlands.-Etymology:The name derives from the narrows in the sea loch, Loch Leven, where it joins Loch Linnhe.-Village:...
lies in Gleann a' Chaolais, the glen that runs down to the narrows. This is the subject of the Gaelic song, Gleann Bhaile Chaoil written by John Cameron (1865–1951) and known locally both as the Paisley Bard and by his local nickname Iain Cealaidh. He is often confused with another local bard also called John Cameron, known locally as Iain Rob (1822–1898). Gleann a' Chaolais is ringed by Beinn a' Bheithir
Beinn a' Bheithir
Beinn a' Bheithir is a mountain lying to the south of Ballachulish, on the south side of Loch Leven in the Scottish Highlands. It boasts two Munro summits: the higher peak Sgorr Dhearg lies about east of Sgorr Dhonuill ....
, a massif which contains two munros - Sgorr Dhearg and Sgorr Dhonuill. In recent years a number of new houses have been built locally along with holiday chalets and an art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
. In recent years, the fields of Gleann a' Chaolais have been turned into a 9-hole golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
.
Overlooking the narrows is the monument to James of the Glen
James of the Glen
James Stewart, known as James of the Glens, Seamus a’ Ghlinne and James Stewart of Acharn was a Scotsman famous for being wrongfully accused and hanged for being accessory to the killing of Colin Roy Campbell...
, "hanged on this spot for a crime of which he was not guilty". Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
based his novel Kidnapped around the story of the Appin Murder
Appin Murder
The Appin Murder occurred on May 14, 1752 near Appin in the north-west of Scotland, and it resulted in what is often held to be a notorious miscarriage of justice...
. Whoever did kill the Red Fox (Campbell of Glenure) is still not known, but the story is a reminder that a people subject to unjust occupation and persecution, as the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
Highlanders were, will sometimes resort to violence and rebellion.
Shinty
ShintyShinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
is a popular local sport and the village is the traditional boundary of the North/South divide in shinty, with teams north of the village playing in the North district's competitions and those South playing in their respective competitions. Ballachulish
Ballachulish Camanachd Club
Ballachulish Camanachd Club is a shinty team from Ballachulish, Lochaber, Scotland. The club was founded in 1893 the same year as the Camanachd Association. One of the sport's most famous clubs, they won the Camanachd Cup four times before World War I...
's shinty team plays in the South Leagues. However, Ballachulish is still considerably far North in relation to most of Scotland. The Club has won the Camanachd Cup
Camanachd Cup
The Camanachd Association Challenge Cup AKA the Camanachd Cup or Scottish Cup is the premier prize in the sport of shinty...
four times.
Railway
In 1903, a branch of the Callander and Oban RailwayCallander and Oban Railway
The Callander and Oban Railway company was formed in 1864 with the objective of linking Callander, Scotland to the west coast port of Oban over challenging terrain, particularly at Glen Ogle and the Pass of Brander at Loch Awe. Callander had been reached in 1858 by the Dunblane, Doune and Callander...
, from , was opened to Ballachulish. The site of the former railway halt of , the penultimate stop on the line before the Laroch quarries, was next to Ballachulish House, some half mile inland from the ferry. Traces of the line, which closed in 1966, remain between here and Connel Ferry. The old terminus station at Laroch (Ballachulish) is now an award winning Doctor's surgery. The station, and stationmaster's house, at , is now a private house and the station at , some 20 miles south, has been refurbished in its old traditional Caledonian Railway
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
brown. The station at Kentallen
Kentallen railway station
Kentallen was a railway station at the head of Kentallen Bay, which is on the southern shore of Loch Linnhe in Highland.- History :This station opened on 20 August 1903. It was laid out with two platforms, one on either side of a crossing loop...
(5 miles south of Ballachulish) included a pier. When this Oban-Ballachulish branch line closed the station buildings were bought over by Scottie & Bridget Stewart who ran the renowned Kentallen Station Tearooms for more than 15 years until finally retiring in 1974. Apparently afternoon tea here was a spectacular feast. This station has now been turned into The Holly Tree Hotel & Leisure Club. Parts of the old railway line are being changed (2008) into a cycle/walking track allowing again the beautiful views previously seen from the train.
Slate
Slate from the East Laroch quarries, established just two years after the infamous Glencoe Massacre of 1692, was used to provide the roofing slate for much of EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
's skyline in the succeeding centuries. It is of good quality but one weakness is the presence of Iron Pyrite in the rock. These crystals quickly rust away when exposed to the weather, leaving clean square holes and a brown rusty streak. Over 75% of the slate cut from the quarries was unusable as roof covering for this and other reasons. The quarries closed in 1955. Optimistically, tests have recently (2008/9) been carried out to see if it is feasible to extract slate from them again.
Between 1902 and 1905 the Ballachulish community was badly affected by two protracted conflicts in the slate quarries. The first began in July 1902, involved a twelve months lockout
Lockout (industry)
A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...
, and lasted eighteen months. The workers objected to the summary dismissal of the medical officer Dr. Lachlan Grant from both his work in the quarries and his post as Medical Officer for the Parish Council District of Ballachulish. They also objected to the unsatisfactory labour contracts, inadequate wages and excessive charges for the powder, coals and other materials supplied by the company.
The second dispute started in the summer of 1905 when members of a hostile crowd charged the quarry manager with autocratic, dictatorial and unfair behaviour towards both Dr. Grant and members of the quarrying labour force and the community.
A new company was formed in December 1907 and quarrying continued at Ballachulish until 1955.
Local Highland Games
On Saturday last these games were held under the most favourable auspices. The competitions were confined to local athletes - competitors from Ballachulish, Glencoe, Onich, ArdgourArdgour
Ardgour is a district of Lochaber on Ardnamurchan peninisula on the western shore of Loch Linnhe, in Highland Scotland.The term Ardgour, together with Kingairloch, is applied to a large area of countryside around the village, from the Glensanda Superquarry, Kingairloch and Kilmalieu in the south...
and Duror alone being eligible. This allowed a pleasant rivalry in feats of skill between youth of the neighbouring districts and encouraged a fondness for outdoor sports.
The Ballachulish men excelled in throwing the hammer and putting the stone and the Glencoe men in leaping and racing, while the Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
(Onich) men carried off the place for vaulting with the pole, one of them clearing a height of 8 feet 8 inches and would have done more if required. The Glencoe lads are keener athletes than the Ballachulish ones. They stand almost unequalled at the game of shinty and on Saturday a plucky Glencoe lad was to be seen at every contest, no matter what his chances of winning might be. The Ballachulish lads are muscular and strong and should give a good account of themselves in any fray; but they do not show the same amount of Celtic fire for field sports as their neighbours of Carnoch (Glencoe).
Excellent music was supplied by the pipe band
Pipe band
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common....
of F Company (A.H.R.V.) and added greatly to the enjoyment of the day. The committee of judges were:- Messrs A. Beatson Bell, D. Campbell, J.B. Chinery Haldane, Major-Gen. Macpherson, D. McCalman, W.H.S. Napier, R. Philips and F.S. Robertson. The difficult duty of judging the dancing and pipe music was kindly and satisfactorily performed by Mrs. Robertson, Callart, and Major-Gen. Macpherson assisted by Mr. McIver, Callart House, in the latter case.
Events were - Hammer
Hammer throw
The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...
; Stone
Stone put
The stone put is one of the main Scottish heavy athletic events at modern-day Highland games gatherings. Similar to the shot put, the stone put more frequently uses an ordinary stone or rock instead of a steel ball...
; High jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
; Vaulting with pole
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
; Long race; Boys’ race; Short race; Sack race
Sack race
The sack race or gunny sack race is a competitive game in which participants place both of their legs inside a sack or pillow case that reaches their waist or neck and jump forward from a starting point toward a finish line. The first person to cross the finish line is the winner of the race.Sack...
; Three-leg race
Three-legged race
A favorite at community picnics and school carnivals, a three-legged race is a game of cooperation between partners as much as it is one of speed. It involves two participants attempting to complete a short sprint with the left leg of one runner strapped to the right leg of another runner...
; Pipe music; Highland Fling
Highland Fling
This dance is now performed at dance competitions and events around the world. It is no longer danced on a shield, but it is still the goal of the dancer to stay in the same spot throughout the dance. The Highland Fling is danced at almost all competition levels, from Primary to Premier. It is also...
; Reels
Reel (dance)
The reel is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type. In Scottish country dancing, the reel is one of the four traditional dances, the others being the jig, the strathspey and the waltz, and is also the name of a dance figure ....
; Sword dance
Scottish sword dances
Performance of sword dances in the folklore of Scotland is recorded from as early as the 15th century.Related customs are found in the Welsh and English Morris dance, in Austria, Germany, Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Romania...
; Hornpipe
Hornpipe
The term hornpipe refers to any of several dance forms played and danced in Britain and elsewhere from the late 17th century until the present day. It is said that hornpipe as a dance began around the 16th century on English sailing vessels...
.
The contrast between the local informal competitions and the more formal 'arranged' games can be traced through to the second half of the century. Into the former category could be placed events such as the Ballachulish regatta 'got up by working men' at the slate quarries, which was accompanied by land sports. At these gatherings the traditional sports - throwing the hammer and the stone (both heavy and light), racing and leaping (high jump and long jump) - were pursued as 'trials of strength, swiftness and agility'...The caber
Caber toss
The caber toss is a traditional Irish athletic event practised at the Irish Highland Games involving the tossing of a large wooden pole called a caber. It is said to have developed from the need to toss logs across narrow chasms to cross them. In Irishtown the caber is usually made from a Larch tree...
seldom featured in local informal sports events arranged by local people as distinct from formal Highland Gatherings stage managed by non locals.
Graveyard
The graveyard of St John's EpiscopalScottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
church has some fine gravestones which, unlike many others, look as if they were engraved 'yesterday', having been made from Ballachulish slate.