Hunters Quay () is a village in
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...
, Scotland. Situated between
Kirn to the south and
Ardnadam to the north, Hunters Quay is the main base of
Western Ferries, operating between Hunters Quay and
McInroy's Point.
Structures
Royal Marine Hotel
The current building was built in 1890. This and the previous building was, between 1872 and the 1950s, the home of the
Royal Clyde Yacht Club, which was founded in 1856.
Hafton House
Built in 1815 for James Hunter.
Villas
In the mid 19th century, the principal villas at Hunters Quay were ''Claver House'' (Mr Miller), ''Linnwood'' (Mr Somerville), ''Rock Hill'' (Capt. Littlejohn), ''Whinhill'' (Mrs Ross), ''Woodside'' (Mr Bell) and Craigend (Mr Bryson).
[''Colegate's Guide to Dunoon, Kirn, and Hunter's Quay'' (Second edition)]
- John Colegate (1868), page 28
1908 Summer Olympic Games
The 12-metre class yacht race in the 1908 London Olympic Games took place at Hunters Quay. Most of the sailing took place on the Solent, but only two boats entered the 12-metre class: ''Mouchette'' from the Royal Liverpool Yacht Club and ''Hera'' from the Royal Clyde Yacht Club. They were allowed to race on the Clyde for convenience. The course was twice round a lap of the Clyde, starting and finishing at Hunters Quay.
Thomas C. Glen-Coats' ''Hera'' won.
Jim Crow Rock – Puffin Rock
"Jim Crow", a pointed
glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is a glacially deposited rock (geology), rock differing from the type of country rock (geology), rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by gla ...
rock lying horizontally on the village's beach facing the
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...
, was known as the "Jim Crow Stone" by 1864,
and by 1904 was painted with a face. There have been various suggestions for the inspiration behind the name and design: the
Jim Crow
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, " Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the ...
character featured in
Jump Jim Crow
"Jump Jim Crow", often shortened to just "Jim Crow", is a song and dance from 1828 that was done in blackface by white minstrel performer Thomas Dartmouth (T. D.) "Daddy" Rice. The song is speculated to have been taken from Jim Crow (sometimes c ...
, a song and dance popularised in 1832 by the American minstrel show performer
Thomas D. Rice; local stories suggest it could have been the name of the owner of a nearby builders'/joiners yard; a
jackdaw
Jackdaws are two species of bird in the genus ''Coloeus'' closely related to, but generally smaller than, crows and ravens ('' Corvus''). They have a blackish crown, wings, and tail, with the rest of their plumage paler.Madge & Burn (1994) 136� ...
hich has a black beak but not a red mouth or the later
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were U.S. state, state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, "Jim Crow (character), Ji ...
which were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States.
Another suggestion is that it was named after the line "So they canonized him by the name of Jim Crow!" in the 1837 poem ''
The Jackdaw of Rheims''.
text online
with "Jim Crow".
Due to concerns about racism the rock was painted over several times, but repeatedly returned to its original state.
In 2017, Neville Lawrence, father of
Stephen Lawrence, saw the rock when he was on holiday in the area, and described it as saddening and disappointing, an uncomfortable reminder of division. It later attracted
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
protests, and was painted black. In community efforts to find a way forward, a competition was held for young people to propose a unifying design.
The winning design was by a pupil from
Dunoon Grammar School, who with other pupils re-painted the rock in 2021 as a
puffin
Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...
.
Transport
Western Ferries
Hunters Quay is the headquarters of Western Ferries. The existing Hunters Quay Pier was used since 1973. The port has since been expanded and now incorporates two floating ramps. The service connects to
McInroy's Point near to Gourock in
Inverclyde
Inverclyde (, , , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire, which ...
, on the eastern shore of the upper
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...
.
Gallery
File:2008-08 - Plum Island and Cowal Games 533.jpg, A view of the Holy Loch, looking northwest towards Kilmun.
File:Hunters Quay - geograph.org.uk - 430081.jpg, The Royal Marine Hotel is the half-timbered
Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...
building.
File:Hunters Quay from Cloch Point.jpg, Hunters Quay viewed from Cloch Point.
File:Hunter's Quay - geograph.org.uk - 837885.jpg, A Western Ferries ferry approaching the quay.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunters Quay
Villages in Cowal
Port cities and towns in Scotland
Ports and harbours of Scotland
Olympic sailing venues
Venues of the 1908 Summer Olympics
Firth of Clyde
Highlands and Islands of Scotland
Glacial erratics of Great Britain