Ferryman's Cottage

An uninterrupted view and the freedom of the entire bay

The cottage stands in the lee of the wooded coastline, with just a low stone wall between it and the beach and then just the sky and the sea to contemplate. The whole of Saddell Bay with its long white strand and rocky point belongs to Landmark, including the castle, a later mansion and four cottages. Each building stands alone and staying here you have the freedom of the whole bay, in all its wild and unspoilt beauty, where seals, sea birds of every kind and even an otter are regular visitors. The ruins of an ancient abbey are nearby to explore.

Sheltered and east-facing

Ferryman’s Cottage was built in about 1930 on the site of a humbler predecessor, the freehold property of an important local figure, the Ferryman. Before the building of good roads much of Western Scotland was dependent on such deliveries of provisions and Glensaddell was no exception. Traditionally harled, the cottage has the sensible unpretentious proportions, neat roof and simple window dressings of much later vernacular Scottish architecture. It stands in its own garden, with the remains of the jetty in the rocky bay in front. Its rooms are filled with sea light and the sheltered, east-facing position of Saddell Bay means that it has all the benefits of a sea view without the worst of the weather beating against its windows.

The Castle seems to have been left as a ruin for the next hundred years, even after it was granted to Archibald Campbell, Earl of Argyll, in 1607. Then in 1650 the Earl, in turn, granted Saddell to William Ralston of that Ilk, a fugitive from religious persecution in the Lowlands, on condition that he made it habitable within two years, which he did. William Ralston soon moved elsewhere and by the end of the 17th century the estate had been granted to a junior branch of the Campbell family who became known as the Campbells of Glensaddell.

During the 18th century the Campbells tried to make the Castle more comfortable but must have felt they were fighting a losing battle because in about 1774 Colonel Donald Campbell (1726-84) decided to build a new and more convenient home, which he called Saddell House. Colonel Campbell had served in India with distinction but was wounded in 1771 and it seems likely that a reward from the Nawab of Arcot provided the funds to build Saddell House. The Colonel’s new house was Classical in style and is typical of the country seats built by the merchants and military men returning after a successful career overseas during this time of prosperity in Scotland.

In 1937 the Saddell Estate was bought by Colonel and Mrs Moreton. During the war, when the then Captain Moreton was recalled to active service, Saddell House became home to children evacuated from Glasgow as well as to the Moreton’s own children. The boys slept in the attic and the girls on the first floor and though these were tense days it seems many happy memories were created.

The Landmark Trust’s involvement with the estate and buildings at Saddell Bay on Kintyre dates back to 1975. The estate and its buildings were purchased from Colonel and Mrs Moreton to enable them to survive and Mrs Moreton was given a life tenancy of Saddell House, which came to an end in 1998.