Lochgilphead
Encyclopedia
Lochgilphead icon is a town and former burgh
in Scotland
, with a population of around 3,000 people. It is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute
. The town lies at the end of Loch Gilp
(itself a branch of Loch Fyne
) and lies on the banks of the Crinan Canal
.
The council is based at Kilmory Castle
, around which is located a woodland
park
and an Iron Age
fort. The Forestry Commission
also have an office there.
Lochgilphead's facilities include a swimming pool
, sports centre, fishing tackle shop, three bank
s, supermarket
, Renault
dealership, a community hospital run by the local GPs, psychiatric hospital, 9-hole golf course, a hydrotherapy pool, a regional landfill site at Dunchologan and Lochgilphead High School
.
The town is home to shinty
team Kilmory Camanachd
and football team, Lochgilphead Red Star.
to Campbeltown
. After the completion of the Crinan Canal
in 1801 the town became more important as a link across the Kintyre peninsula
.
and Oban
in the then highly popular BBC Television
It's a Knockout
, presented by Stuart Hall
. The town's team won their round and later competed in the international version of the series, 'Jeux Sans Frontieres
', which was recorded in Switzerland
.
, Lochgilphead's main street features briefly in an aerial shot, as the bombers of 633 Squadron fly over the unnamed town en route to the target in Norway
.
sportscar was built by Bob Henderson in Manse Brae.
had built, and was for a time parish priest of St Margaret's Church in the town.
The footballer Neil Dewar
was born in the town.
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
in 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...
, with a population of around 3,000 people. It is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
. The town lies at the end of Loch Gilp
Loch Gilp
Loch Gilp is a small inlet on Loch Fyne which gives its name to Lochgilphead. The Crinan Canal extends from the loch across to Crinan itself....
(itself a branch of Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne is a sea loch on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs...
) and lies on the banks of the Crinan Canal
Crinan Canal
The Crinan canal is a canal in the west of Scotland. It takes its name from the village of Crinan at its westerly end. Nine miles long, it connects the village of Ardrishaig on Loch Gilp with the Sound of Jura, providing a navigable route between the Clyde and the Inner Hebrides, without the need...
.
The council is based at Kilmory Castle
Kilmory Castle
Kilmory Castle, also known as Kilmory House, is a large 19th-century house located just to the south of Lochgilphead, in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland. It is currently occupied by the headquarters of Argyll and Bute Council. The gardens are open to the public and form part of a...
, around which is located a woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
and an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
fort. The Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
also have an office there.
Lochgilphead's facilities include a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, sports centre, fishing tackle shop, three bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
s, supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
, Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
dealership, a community hospital run by the local GPs, psychiatric hospital, 9-hole golf course, a hydrotherapy pool, a regional landfill site at Dunchologan and Lochgilphead High School
Lochgilphead High School
Lochgilphead High School in Lochgilphead, Argyll is a secondary school servicing around 500 students. A new campus has been built incorporating Lochgilphead High School, Lochgilphead Primary School and the White Gates Learning Centre. The roof of the incorporated sports centre was blown off by fast...
.
The town is home to shinty
Shinty
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...
team Kilmory Camanachd
Kilmory Camanachd
Kilmory Camanachd is a shinty club from Lochgilphead, Argyll, Scotland. The club was founded in 1977 in its present form. The club plays in South Division One and has a reserve side in the Bullough cup. The club is associated with Dunadd ladies team....
and football team, Lochgilphead Red Star.
History
As a planned settlement, Lochgilphead was created in 1790 shortly after the completion of a road from InverarayInveraray
Inveraray is a royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is the traditional county town of Argyll and ancestral home to the Duke of Argyll.-Coat of arms:...
to Campbeltown
Campbeltown
Campbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Originally known as Kinlochkilkerran , it was renamed in the 17th century as Campbell's Town after Archibald Campbell was granted the site in 1667...
. After the completion of the Crinan Canal
Crinan Canal
The Crinan canal is a canal in the west of Scotland. It takes its name from the village of Crinan at its westerly end. Nine miles long, it connects the village of Ardrishaig on Loch Gilp with the Sound of Jura, providing a navigable route between the Clyde and the Inner Hebrides, without the need...
in 1801 the town became more important as a link across the Kintyre peninsula
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
.
Community and culture
In July 1982, Lochgilphead competed against teams from PerthPerth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
and Oban
Oban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...
in the then highly popular BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
It's a Knockout
It's a Knockout
It's a Knockout was adapted from the French show Intervilles. It ran between from 7 August 1966 to 25 December 1988 on BBC1, 28 May 1990 on ITV, 3 August 1991 to 24 December 1994 on S4C and from 3 September 1999 to 6 January 2001 on Channel 5, produced by Richard Hearsey and Ronin Entertainment...
, presented by Stuart Hall
Stuart Hall (television presenter)
James Stuart Hall is a BBC radio and television presenter.Hall claims to have coined the phrase "The Beautiful Game" as a youngster to describe football...
. The town's team won their round and later competed in the international version of the series, 'Jeux Sans Frontieres
Jeux Sans Frontieres
Jeux Sans Frontières was a Europe-wide television game show.In its original conception, it was broadcast from 1965 to 1999 under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union and featured teams from different European countries in outlandish costumes competing to complete bizarre tasks in funny...
', which was recorded in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Filmography
In the World War Two movie, 633 Squadron633 Squadron
633 Squadron is a 1964 British film which depicts the exploits of a fictional Second World War British fighter-bomber squadron. It was based on a novel of the same name by Frederick E. Smith, published in 1956, which itself drew on several real Royal Air Force missions. The film was directed by...
, Lochgilphead's main street features briefly in an aerial shot, as the bombers of 633 Squadron fly over the unnamed town en route to the target in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Invention and discovery
The Argyll Turbo GTArgyll (automobile)
Argyll was a Scottish motor car marque manufactured from 1899 to 1932, and again from 1976 to around 1990.-The original Argyll marque:Alex Govan founded The Hozier Engineering Company in 1899, and it was at this factory that the first Argyll Voiturette was produced; copied from the contemporary...
sportscar was built by Bob Henderson in Manse Brae.
Notable people
The singer Sydney MacEwanSydney MacEwan
Canon Sydney Alfred MacEwan was a Scottish tenor and singer of traditional Scottish and Irish songs.He was born and brought up in the Springburn area of Glasgow by his mother alone after his father left the family. Sydney was the younger of two brothers. His mother was Irish, from near Portadown,...
had built, and was for a time parish priest of St Margaret's Church in the town.
The footballer Neil Dewar
Neil Dewar
Neil Hamilton Dewar was a Scottish footballer who played for Third Lanark, Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday and the Scotland national team. He usually played as a forward and had a prolific goal scoring record....
was born in the town.
External links
- http://www.lochgilphead.biz - Lochgilphead Independent Visitor Information and Community Website
- http://www.argyllshireadvertiser.co.uk - The Argyllshire Advertiser for Lochgilphead and Mid Argyll news
- http://www.jsfnet.co.uk/series_1982.htm - It's A Knockout and Jeux Sans Frontières 1982 history