![]() ![]() The settlement takes its name from Carrick Castle, once a royal stronghold, which dates from the 15th century and has its remains on a rocky peninsular platform. While the building dates from Victorian times, its history is unknown. Located towards the north end of the small settlement of the small settlement of Carrick Castle on the western shore of Loch Goil, Argyll & Bute, is a corrugated iron church which is still in use by the Church of Scotland (2008). A handsomely designed residence, delivered and erected cost approximately £425. The walls were insulated by a liberal use of felt. They quote that "sheets of standard Birmingham grade galvanised iron are used, truly and evenly corrugated, thickly coated with pure Silesian spelter, true and even in temper, and free from flaws and cracks." Floorboards were supplied of thoroughly seasoned deal in 1" thicknesses and lining boards in 1/2" tongue and grooved. The construction of these iron buildings was fully detailed in the catalogues. This type of house was normally constructed as secondary accommodation on large estates either for estate workers or overflow accommodation for shooting parties from the main lodge. At the turn of the last century Coopers had an illustrated catalogue of iron buildings (for home and export) of churches, hospitals, club houses, residences, cottages, offices, stables, motor car houses, billiard rooms and ballrooms. It is highly probable that Ballintomb Cottage was delivered in kit form to the local station by William Cooper Ltd of Old Kent Road in London. ![]() The houses were usually purchased as fairly inexpensive kits, able to be erected quickly, and capable of serving the needs of a small community, being available as ready-to-assemble kits for domestic houses, offices, stables, ballrooms, churches and hospitals, as described in the catalogue of one the suppliers of the time, William Cooper Ltd. The original so-called corrugated iron was actually wrought iron, much thicker and robust than the thin, flexible sheet material the term refers to today, and galvanised to resist the weather. In those days, corrugated iron was a more substantial material then the flimsy sheet metal product we know today, and the houses produced then were of significantly better quality than similar structures produced today. Originally known as portable houses, they first appeared around 1830, but only became widely adopted toward the end of the 19th century. The two pubs on the island both serve excellent food featuring local produce from Spring through to Autumn.Corrugated iron buildings were once a common sight in the Highlands around the turn of the century, but have now become something of a rarity. The island has an exceptionally well-stocked village shop at Balvicar, which is within easy walking distance of the Tin Church. The island is a haven for wildlife including seals, otters and many birds of prey including sea eagles. Two of the other Slate Islands are easily visited by regular ferry. The sea is everywhere, with fabulous views down the Sound of Luing to Scarba and across to Mull and the Isles of the Sea. The picturesque white-painted former slate workers cottages are still very much in evidence in Balvicar and the pretty conservation village of Ellenabeich. Many traces of this remain in the form of tranquil flooded quarries now blended seamlessly with the spectacular Highland landscape. Seil is one of four Slate Islands, and once provided slates that roofed buildings all over the world. It is only a twenty minute drive from Oban, an attractive seaside town that is also the main ferry terminal for the Inner Hebrides and Barra. It has all the charm of a small Hebridean island with none of the usual transport hassles, thanks to the famous ‘Bridge Over The Atlantic’. ![]()
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