Signage Project

Historical Signage Project

Port Charlotte and Lochindaal Distillery

Founded in 1828 by Walter Fredrick Campbell, Port Charlotte is named after his mother Lady Charlotte Campbell, a renowned society beauty and lady-in-waiting to Princess Caroline in the early 1800s.

Postcard from Port Charlotte Hotel, date unknown

Potential inhabitants were attracted by the two-storey houses and the grants of four acres of land, laid out in plots to the south-west of the village. These were to grow vegetables and to keep a cow or chickens.

By this time Islay had a long tradition of making pot still malt whisky on both a domestic and an illicit basis, having a plentiful supply of fresh water, peat and barley. However, the Excise Act of 1823 more than halved duty paid on legally distilled spirit, making commercial production of malt whisky increasingly cost-effective.

Campbell was eager to encourage the distilling industry as an alternative to agricultural employment and, when the Lochindaal Distillery was established in 1829, he offered a 50-year tack (rent) on the distillery land.

The first recorded licensee of the distillery was Colin Campbell but the license changed hands only two years later and then multiple times over the distillery’s 100-year history.

By the 1880s, Lochindaal Distillery was producing approximately 120,000 gallons of spirit per year, with the water for production drawn from Loch Gearach and a spring at Octomore. Some of this spirit was shipped to the mainland, the casks lashed together in groups of ten and towed out to ships in the bay by a boatman.

The distillery was closed and partially dismantled in 1929. This was a major loss of employment within the village. Despite plans by Bruichladdich Distillery to revive it in the early 2000s, the distillery has remained closed since.

Nowadays, the remaining bonded warehouses are used by Bruichladdich Distillery for storing casks. A warehouse on the seaside has been converted into a Youth Hostel and the Islay Natural History Trust Nature Centre, while others are used for storage.

New housing developments have grown up around the edges of Port Charlotte; however, the original village remains largely unchanged in form and is now a designated Conservation Area.

Taigh-staile Phort Sgioba is Loch an Dàil

Air a stèidheachadh ann an 1828 le Bhaltar Fredrick Caimbeul, tha Port Sgioba air ainmeachadh sa Bheurla às dèidh a mhàthar, a’ Bhean Uasal Charlotte Chaimbeul, boireannach fìor bhrèagha de chomann-sòisealta ainmeil agus bean-choimhididh don Bhana-Phrionnsa Caroline, tràth sna 1800an.

Bha luchd-còmhnaidh san amharc air an tàladh leis na taighean dà-ùrlarach agus an tabhartas de cheithir acairean de thalamh, air an cur a-mach ann an lotaichean gu taobh an iar-dheas den bhaile. Bha iad sin airson glasraich fhàs agus bò is cearcan a chumail.

Port Charlotte from the fields behind, Archibald Cameron, early 1900s

Aig an àm seo, bha traidisean fada aig Ìle a bhith a’ dèanamh mac na braiche poite-dubha air bhunait dùthchail agus mì-laghail, le gu leòr de dh’uisge fìorghlan, mòine agus eòrna ri làimh. Ach, lùghdaich Achd nan Cìsean 1823 còrr is leth na cìse air spiorad a bha air a ghrùdadh gu laghail, a’ dèanamh toradh coimearsalta air mac na braiche anabarrach èifeachdach a thaobh cosgais.

Bha an Caimbeulach dealasach a thaobh an gnìomhachas grùdaidh a bhrosnachadh mar chothrom eile seach cosnadh àiteachais, agus nuair a chaidh Taigh-staile Loch an Dàil a stèidheachadh ann an 1829, thairgsich e màl taca de 50 bliadhna air fearann an taigh-staile.

B’ e Cailean Caimbeul a’ chiad neach-cead clàraichte air an taigh-staile ach dh’atharraich an ceadachas làmhan dìreach dà bhliadhna às dèidh sin agus an uair sin mòran tursan thar eachdraidh 100 bliadhna an taigh-staile.

Anns na 1880an, bha Taigh-staile Loch an Dàil a’ toradh timcheall air 120,000 gallan de spiorad sa bhliadhna, leis an uisge airson na h-obrach ga tharraing bho Loch Gearach agus à fuaran aig Ochdad Mòr. Bha cuid den deoch-làidir air a chur air falbh ann am bàtaichean gu tìr-mòr, na baraillean gan ceangal ri chèile ann am buidhnean de dheich agus air an tobhaigeadh a-mach gu na soithichean sa bhàgh le fear-bàta.

Chaidh an taigh-staile a dhùnadh agus a thoirt às a chèile ann am pàirt ann an 1929. Bha seo na chall cosnaidh mòr don bhaile. A dh’aindeoin phlanaichean le Taigh-staile Bhruthach a’ Chladaich fhosgladh a-rithist tràth sna 2000an, tha an taigh-staile air fuireach dùinte on uair sin.

San latha an-diugh, tha na taighean-bathair bannaichte gan cleachdadh le Bruthach a’ Chladaich airson stòradh bharaillean. Tha taigh-bathair an cois na mara air iompachadh gu Ostail Òigridh agus Ionad Nàdair Urras Eachdraidh Nàdarra Ìle, agus feadhainn eile gan cleachdadh airson stòradh.

Tha leasachaidhean thaighean ùra air fàs suas mu thicheall iomall Phort Sgioba; ach, tha cruth a’ bhaile gu mòr air fuireach mar a bha e bho thùs, agus tha e a-nis ainmichte mar Làrach Glèidhteachais.