Bowmore
Encyclopedia
Bowmore
Bowmore (Scottish Gaelic: Bogh Mòr is a village
on the Scottish
island of Islay
and serves as administrative capital of the island. It gives its name to the famous distillery producing Bowmore Single Malt, a single malt scotch whisky
.
Bowmore is a planned village with wide streets on a grid-iron pattern. Daniel Campbell the Younger initiated the construction of the village in 1770, just after the completion of the Kilarrow Parish Church
, which was built in a circular shape to prevent the devil from hiding in a corner.
The Bowmore Distillery came in operation at some time before 1816 and is situated on the shores of Loch Indaal and next to an old warehouse which is converted to a swimming pool, known locally as the MacTaggart Centre. The waste heat from the distillery is partially used to heat the water of the swimming pool.
seaplane base at Bowmore during WWII
. Short Sunderland
and PBY Catalina
flying boats operated from Loch Indaal
. Some of the wartime film, Coastal Command was filmed in Bowmore and it features a shot of a Sunderland flying low over the main street of Bowmore and over Kilarrow Parish Church.
Centre), a cultural centre and college founded with the aim of promoting Gaelic language and heritage on the Island.
, famous as the "Tartan Pimpernel
" for his wartime exploits in France, is one of Bowmore's most famous sons. He was responsible for the safe passage of numerous exiles through the Scots Kirk in Paris during WWII, risking both life and limb. In more recent times, Glenn Campbell can be seen regularly on BBC Scotland as their political correspondent.
Bowmore (Scottish Gaelic: Bogh Mòr is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
on the Scottish
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...
island of Islay
Islay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
and serves as administrative capital of the island. It gives its name to the famous distillery producing Bowmore Single Malt, a single malt scotch whisky
Single malt Scotch
Single Malt Scotch is whisky made in Scotland using a pot still distillation process at a single distillery, with malted barley as the only grain ingredient...
.
History
Kilarrow Parish Church
Kilarrow Church is a Church of Scotland parish church, overlooking and serving Bowmore on the Isle of Islay.The "Round Church", as it is often known, was built in 1767. It has a highly unusual circular design, more reminiscent of some churches built in the 1960s...
, which was built in a circular shape to prevent the devil from hiding in a corner.
The Bowmore Distillery came in operation at some time before 1816 and is situated on the shores of Loch Indaal and next to an old warehouse which is converted to a swimming pool, known locally as the MacTaggart Centre. The waste heat from the distillery is partially used to heat the water of the swimming pool.
Bowmore in WWII
There was a RAFRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
seaplane base at Bowmore during WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Short Sunderland
Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....
and PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
flying boats operated from Loch Indaal
Loch Indaal
Loch Indaal is a sea loch on the island of Islay, the southernmost of the Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. Together with Loch Gruinart to the north, it was formed by the Loch Gruinart Fault, which branches off the Great Glen Fault.Along the northwestern coast are the villages of...
. Some of the wartime film, Coastal Command was filmed in Bowmore and it features a shot of a Sunderland flying low over the main street of Bowmore and over Kilarrow Parish Church.
Facilities
Bowmore has several hotels, restaurants, shops, a hospital, a high school and is home to the Ìleach newspaper, community newspaper of the year 2006. Bowmore is also host to Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle (the ColumbaColumba
Saint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period...
Centre), a cultural centre and college founded with the aim of promoting Gaelic language and heritage on the Island.
Famous persons
The Rev Donald CaskieDonald Caskie
Donald Caskie OBE OCF was a minister in the Church of Scotland, best known for his exploits in France during World War II, during which he helped an estimated 2,000 Allied sailors, soldiers and airmen to escape from occupied France...
, famous as the "Tartan Pimpernel
Scarlet pimpernel
Scarlet pimpernel is a low-growing annual plant found in Europe, Asia and North America...
" for his wartime exploits in France, is one of Bowmore's most famous sons. He was responsible for the safe passage of numerous exiles through the Scots Kirk in Paris during WWII, risking both life and limb. In more recent times, Glenn Campbell can be seen regularly on BBC Scotland as their political correspondent.