18 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORERNOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016
Still Welcoming
e iron would have come from nearby
Taynuilt, where whole forests were felled to
feed the furnaces, and the whisky may have
come from the town’s distillery, founded in
1794 and still welcoming visitors today. e
1845 Statistical Account listed just 13 fishing
boats, but referred to good quality shellfish
and large quantities of herring. Produce from
the land was not so plentiful - 'supplies in the
butcher and vegetable markets are neither
regular nor prime'.
e railway station opened on 1 July 1880
and additional platforms were built in 1904
to accommodate a new branch line running
south from Ballachulish. Oban was now
connected to the Central Belt and it soon
gained a reputation as a popular resort for
pioneering holiday-makers. ey would have
stepped off their trains beneath the
atmospheric cream-coloured timber canopies
which eventually became listed buildings.
Sadly, this was not enough to prevent their
demolition in the 1980s and the revamped
station is now something of a soulless place
surrounded by functional retail units.However, McCaig’s Tower forms an unmistake-
able feature on the hill behind the harbour.A Lasting Monument
is huge granite structure oen puzzles
first-time visitors and was commissioned in
1897 by John Stuart McCaig, a philanthropic
banker who wanted to create a lasting
monument to his family while also providing
welcome employment to local stonemasons.
He planned an amphitheatre based on the
Colosseum at Rome and intended to include
a museum and viewing tower within the 650’
circumference of the outer wall, which is
pierced by almost 100 high gothic arches. His
death in 1902 meant the structure remained
unfinished, but a steep walk from the seafront
to the folly is rewarded by exceptional
panoramas over Mull and nearby islands.
ere might have been another landmark on
the skyline too. A huge Victorian hotel
complex known as the Oban Hydro (its full
name was the Hydropathic Establishment
and Sanatorium) was planned on another hill.
is would have hosted healthy seawater
baths and a large concert hall, together withPage 17 Top: A classic view across
Oban as the ferry from Mull
arrives at the South Pier. The
prominent red roof marks the
North Pier and the tall
chimney rises from the distillery.
Below: The entrance to the
impressive McCaig’s Tower is
through a tall arch. The gothic-in-
spired circumference of this un-
usual folly extends to around 650’.
Above: An interesting range of
boats is moored by Oban’s North
Pier, with the unmistakeable
McCaig’s Tower on the wooded
skyline.
Opposite Top: An early morning
ferry from Mull emerges from the
mist as it begins its approach
towards Oban by passing St
Columba’s Cathedral.
Below: Oban is famous for its
sunsets - an evening view
towards Kerrera and the Sound of
Mull with St Columba’s Cathedral
on the right.
Photographs taken by the au-
thor, Roger Butler.