Kilmun () is a linear settlement on the north shore of the

Holy Loch The Holy Loch () is a sea loch, part 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 after leaving Ireland. Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausole ...

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. It takes its name from the 7th-century monastic community founded by an Irish monk, St Munn (Fintán of Taghmon). The ruin of a 12th-century church still stands beside the Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausoleum.Historic Klmun, ''Visit Historic Klmun'', leaflet by Argyll Mausoleum Ltd, Kilmun 2015.

Location

The village lies on the A880, within the

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park () is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond and the hills and glens of the Trossachs, along with several other ranges of hills. It was the first of the national parks of Scotland, two nati ...

. It runs between the head of the sea loch and connects with the village of Strone at Strone Point, where the sea loch joins 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 ...

History

As a settlement, Kilmun is substantially older than most of its neighbours. Like them, it developed as a watering-place (a summer pleasure resort/spa with

sea bathing Sea bathing is swimming in the sea or in sea water and a sea bath is a protective enclosure for sea bathing. Unlike bathing in a swimming pool, which is generally done for pleasure or exercise purposes, sea bathing was once thought to have curati ...

for well off

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

families) after 1827, when a quay was built by the marine engineer David Napier to connect to his "new route" to

Inveraray Inveraray ( or ; meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Located on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, Inveraray is a former royal burgh and known affectionately as "The Capital of Argyll." It is the ...

which included a steam ship on Loch Eck. The pier was a regular stop for the

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 Cl ...

services until its closure in 1971. A ferry also used to cross the loch to and from Lazaretto Point in Ardnadam.''Colegate's Guide to Dunoon, Kirn, and Hunter's Quay'' (Second edition)
- John Colegate (1868), page 46

Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausoleum

Consists of St Munn's Church (a Category-A-listed building and Kilmun's parish church of the Church of Scotland), as well as the adjacent mausoleum of the Dukes of Argyll and a historically significant churchyard. The complex is located on the summit of a slight knoll about ten metres from the shoreline of the Holy Loch. The existing church dates from 1841 and occupies the site of an older, medieval church. A partly ruined tower from the medieval period still stands to the west of the present building.

Kilmun Arboretum

Kilmun is also home to an extensive

arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

managed by the Forestry and Land Scotland. Established in the 1930s to monitor the success of a variety of exotic tree species in the humid west coast environment, it includes specimens of Sequoia, Japanese Larch,

Araucaria araucana ''Araucaria araucana'', commonly called the monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, pewen, pehuen pine or piñonero, is an evergreen tree belonging to the family Araucariaceae and growing to a trunk diameter of and a height of . It is native to ...

(monkey puzzle) and Japanese Chestnut amongst many others from around the world. A series of woodland walks have been established of varying gradients and degrees of difficulty, which link by a forestry track to Benmore wood at the top of Puck's Glen.

Decline

The population for the Benmore and Kilmun area was recorded as 1,030 in the 2001 census. That showed a decline of 99 people (9.69%) in the ten years since the 1991 census.

Notable residents

Australian politician Gregor McGregor (1848–1914) was born in Kilmun.

Gallery

File:Church of Scotland, Kilmun - geograph.org.uk - 1353962.jpg, Church of Scotland, Kilmun File:Kilmun Pier - geograph.org.uk - 1353956.jpg, Kilmun Pier File:View from Kilmun Arboretum Track - geograph.org.uk - 320329.jpg, View from Kilmun Arboretum Track

References

External links

Kilmun Origins

Kilmun Arboretum, Forest and Land Scotland - website

Argyll Forest Park, Forest and Land Scotland - website

Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, Kilmun page - website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilmun Villages in Cowal Arboreta in Scotland Protected areas of Argyll and Bute Firth of Clyde Highlands and Islands of Scotland