Old Photographs Port Bannatyne Scotland

Old photograph of Port Bannatyne, Isle of Bute, Scotland. The village started in 1801 with the building of a small harbour on Kames Bay. Lord Bannatyne of Kames Castle, at the head of the bay, planned the village in an attempt to rival Rothesay. Initially known as Kamesburgh, by the mid 19th century, steamers were calling there regularly. In 1860 the Marquess of Bute purchased this part of the island and renamed the village Port Bannatyne in honour of the long historical association of the Bannatyne family with the area. Boat building became an important local industry. In the Second World War midget submarines exercised in the bay and nearby Loch Striven. The luxury Kyles Hydro Hotel, overlooking the Port, was requisitioned by the Admiralty to serve as the HQ for midget submarine, x-craft, operations. In particular, it was from here that the top secret and audacious attack on the Tirpitz was masterminded.





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

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Old Photographs Ettrick Bay Isle Of Bute Scotland

Old Photographs of Ettrick Bay, Isle Of Bute, Scotland. The Bay is a relatively wide, sandy bay, situated on the west coast of the Isle of Bute. The nearest town is Rothesay, on the east coast of the island. The Rothesay and Ettrick Bay Light Railway was a narrow gauge electric tramway on the Isle of Bute. The original tramway was opened in 1882, a horse drawn 4 feet gauge tramway running from the promenade at Rothesay to Port Bannatyne. In 1901 the tramway was bought by British Electric Traction and closed on 2 March 1902 for modernisation. It was regauged to 3 ft 6 in and electrified. The tramway closed on 30 September 1936. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.

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

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