Old Photograph Catacol Island Of Arran Scotland


Old photograph of Catacol, Scottish Gaelic: Catagal, located on the north west side of the island, just a few miles along the coastal road from Lochranza, Island of Arran, Scotland. It derives its name from Old Norse, referring to the gully of the cat. Catacol's main feature is the row of cottages called the Twelve Apostles. They were built to house those people cleared from the surrounding countryside, when much of the interior of the island was set aside for deer. The theory was these former farmers would turn to fishing, and with this in mind, each of the twelve cottages had a differently shaped first floor window. This would allow the woman of the house to signal by placing a candle in the window to her husband while he was out fishing in the Firth of Clyde. The husband would know who was being signalled by the shape of the window. In reality, most of the dispossessed moved away to other parts of the island in protest against their eviction.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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