Local Postcards - 2

I am once again very grateful to Chris Gane for permission to publish more of his collection of old postcards.

The photograph on this card, of the lighthouse at Ardnamurchan Point, was taken from the low hill immediately to its east, from a field which now forms part of a deer enclosure.  The Head Keeper's house, which now houses the Visitor Centre exhibition, hadn't been built, and the white pole - what is it? - stands close to where the wind turbine now is.

This picture of the lighthouse was taken from almost the same spot a year ago, when the wind turbine was down for repairs.  The Head Keeper's house is the elongate building to the left of the lighthouse, in front of which is another, much smaller building, used as a store house, which was also built since the postcard picture.  There are other differences: to the left of the Head Keeper's house are three large tanks once used for water and for compressed air for the foghorn.

This postcard shows Glenborrodale Castle, now an hotel which is part of Ardnamurchan Estate, taken from near the road to the east of it, with the stables block to the right.  The latter is now used as a house for Estate employees, but also contains two flats.  Apologies - I don't have an equivalent picture.

Mingary Castle is seen from the coastline to its west, in the dilapidated condition which became all too familiar.  What is much less familiar is....

....the transformation that is taking place at the moment.  The castle is like a chrysalis from which a butterfly will emerge later this year.  This picture was taken during the snow of late January, but current progress on the castle renovation can be followed at the Mingary Castle website.  The scaffolding should be coming down shortly.

This is a picture taken in Ormsaigbeg, looking eastwards towards Kilchoan, with Glas Bheinn on the left and Beinn na h-Urchrach to the right.  The house at right is Mull View, to the left of it is the Ferry Stores, and to the left again is the Ferry House.

The picture was taken from close to the house on Craigard Croft - just out of picture to the left - and this is almost exactly the same view today.

This is the big house at Sanna, Sanna Bheag.  The picture was taken by its owner, photographer and writer MEM Donaldson - her initials are at bottom right - and it must have been taken prior to 1947 as....

....a fire completely gutted the building in that year, after which Miss Donaldson didn't return to it. The cause remains a mystery: Miss Donaldson's companion, Isabel Bonus, died early in 1947 and, within weeks, the place and its contents were destroyed, including most of Isabel’s large body of work, while Miss Donaldson's photographic archive survived.

In the rebuilt house, the original pitched roof of heather and straw was replaced by a flat roof, which largely destroyed the looks of the building.

Information about Sanna Bheag courtesy Tim Steele.