Innellan is a village in

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...

, Scotland, on the western shore of the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

. It is four miles south of

Dunoon Dunoon (; gd, Dùn Omhain) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well a ...

History

The origin of the name "Innellan" is obscure. The village was developed as a holiday destination in Victorian times on the site of a smaller and older farming settlement, and the first steamboat pier was built in 1851. With a resident population of around 1,000, growing to many more in summer, Innellan found prosperity as one of many seaside resorts along the shores of the

serving tourist traffic primarily coming from the city of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

further upriver, travelling on

Clyde steamer The Clyde steamer is the collective term for several passenger services that existed on the River Clyde in Scotland, running from Glasgow downstream to Rothesay and other towns, a journey known as going ''doon the watter''. The era of the C ...

Notable people

* George Paton, recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

* John Thomas Rochead lived here briefly in 1871 * David Richie, Famous sexual predator

Decline

This prosperity started to fade in the 1960s with the increasing availability of foreign holidays to the general public. Competing against resorts in Europe that enjoyed Mediterranean climates, the popularity of all the Clyde seaside resorts fell. It was around this time that an American naval base in the nearby

Holy Loch The Holy Loch ( gd, An Loch Sianta/Seunta) is a sea loch, a part of the Cowal peninsula coast of the Firth of Clyde, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The "Holy Loch" name is believed to date from the 6th century, when Saint Munn landed there a ...

was established, providing some aid to the local economy, although being controversial. The base was withdrawn in the 1990s. The village's most striking landmark from its heyday as a seaside resort - the large Royal Hotel that overlooked the pier - was destroyed by fire in 1981 and the site has yet to be redeveloped. The entrance gates to its former site on Pier Road still show the sign for the hotel. Innellan's pier, which passenger steamers regularly called at whilst the area was booming, was extended in 1901 but finally closed in 1972 in response to reduced usage. After falling into increasing disrepair, it was fully dismantled in the mid-1990s.

Primary school

Innellan Primary School was established in 1868.

Churches

Innellan once had four churches; two Church of Scotland, one Free Church and one Episcopal. Two of them still stand; the former West Church is now converted to a house, and the remaining (and still functioning) church was the charge of the Reverend Dr

George Matheson George Matheson FRSE (27 March 1842 – 28 August 1906) was a Scottish minister and hymn writer and prolific author. He was blind from the age of 17. Life Born at 39 Abbotsford Place in Glasgow, to George Matheson (d.1891), a merchant and ...

, the blind minister who wrote the hymn "Oh Love that wilt not let me go." Although it is commonly believed that he wrote this hymn after he had been jilted by his fiancée, the truth is that he composed the hymn after experiencing a personal crisis. The only history of Innellan ever printed was written by the Rev John Hill, minister of the West Church, in 1950. It is now out of print, and was somewhat preoccupied with religious affairs.

Innellan today

Innellan, along with nearby

, has in recent years attempted to reclaim its role as a tourist destination. Nowadays its appeal lies more in its being a pleasant and tranquil place of retreat, and as a potential location from which to commute to Glasgow or Dunoon. Innellan boasts very impressive views across the

, stretching from Kilcreggan and

Loch Long Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Sea Loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately in length, with a width of between . The loch also has an arm, Loch Goil, on its wes ...

(looking north) to Cumbrae Head and Ailsa Craig (looking south). There is a local golf club, with a 9-hole course on the hill. The village's strip of shops (which once numbered fourteen) has now been reduced to just the Post Office. There are two pubs in the Village, The Osborne Bar/Restaurant/B&B and The Villagers Royal but other services are provided by the nearby town of Dunoon, which is linked by a bus service.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Innellan Villages in Cowal Highland Boundary Fault Firth of Clyde Highlands and Islands of Scotland