The Kintyre Forum

Received the following from Strathclyde Building Preservation Trust


The Old School on the junction of Lorne Street and Big Kiln Street in Campbeltown is owned by the Kintyre Amenity Trust who run the Heritage Centre in the adjacent church building. The building is modest but elegant and is important as the only survivor of the original 4 building group from around 1845. This comprised two churches one for Gaelic speakers with 1,500 seats and one for English speakers with 900 seats and two school houses one for the teaching of trades and this one for general education. The two churches were replaced in 1867 by the existing building by James Boucher, at some time the trade school was demolished.



Strathclyde Building Preservation Trust is working with the Kintyre Amenity Trust to undertake an Options Appraisal to find a new use for the building. The appraisal will explore a wide range of options to determine:

which of the possible uses can provide a viable future for the building

what repair and alteration will be necessary to house this use

how the repair and alteration will be funded

how will the project be delivered and who will own the building in the long term

But we don’t just want to hand over a finished building; we want to get people involved so that they can learn how to appreciate their heritage and how to look after it. We hope this will involve a range of training and education events around the project including perhaps:

craft and trade training in traditional building skills

training for building students to explain why historical buildings are important and how to look after them

events and activities for children

events to get as many people as possible involved in the heritage of Campbeltown

The appraisal which is being funded by Argyll & Bute Council and Historic Scotland through the Campbeltown Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme and the Architectural Heritage Fund has just begun and the Kintyre Amenity Trust are seeking local views on the future of the building. So if you have any ideas of what it could be used for please either contact members of the Kintyre Amenity Trust or Strathclyde Building Preservation Trust or post an idea on this site also look out for the questionnaires that have been distributed around the town.

As well as looking at potential uses for the building, we are also assessing its condition and working out how much necessary repairs will cost and we have a historical researcher looking into the history of the building. If you have any stories of it or memories of going there we’d love to hear them

What we want to do is to save this attractive building which is a rare reminder of the historical influence of the Church in Campbeltown and we want to put it back to work so that it can help to support the Kintyre Heritage Trust and the Heritage Centre. So, please get involved in this process, give us your ideas and help us to save the Old School.

Please leave comments here or contact direct at school@sbpt.org.uk, or people can write to us at our Glasgow office.

Strathclyde Building Preservation Trust
42 Miller Street
Glasgow
G1 1DT
0141 248 4013
07914 586 777

A youth Hotsel wouldn't go a miss in the town.

Good location and would ensure it remains there for many years.

The youth hostel idea is certainly a good suggestion.

The background here is very interesting - thanks for posting this!

Cheers, M

Interesting. I don't think people appreciate the heritage that Campbeltown has. I like the idea of exploring our heritage. In the area around the Old School House alone there are lots of buildings of historical interest.

As a life member of the YHA I'd second the suggestion for a Youth Hostel, particularly with the Kintyre Way now open, but I'm not sure the building would be big enough.

It's a lovely building though and I've often thought how sad it is to see it looking so dilapidated.

SYHA - great idea.

Beachcomber wrote:As a life member of the YHA I'd second the suggestion for a Youth Hostel, particularly with the Kintyre Way now open, but I'm not sure the building would be big enough.

It's a lovely building though and I've often thought how sad it is to see it looking so dilapidated.

Probably surprise you how big it is. At the end of the day Youth Hostels will sleep upto 12 people in bunks in rooms so doesn't need that many rooms to accommodate 50 people. Well just over 4...

I seem to remember the building being used in the 1950s for dispensing cod liver oil and orange juice, when it was being given out free for all children in the years after the war.

I can rememer going in there with my mother, and here coming out with the orange juice in a fairly large tin, (was it powdered?)

I certainly can't think of any other use the building has been put to in the last 50 years.

It is one of the Campbeltown buildings on the "at risk" register.

Others include the old courthouse in Bolgam Street , the old Post Office and the Keil Hotel.

Look at http://www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/

All of them worthy of saving, if a good use can be found for them.

dunc99 wrote:I seem to remember the building being used in the 1950s for dispensing cod liver oil and orange juice, when it was being given out free for all children in the years after the war.

I can rememer going in there with my mother, and here coming out with the orange juice in a fairly large tin, (was it powdered?)

Hi Dunc,I remember it well.The tins were powdered milk, and the orange juice was in bottles to be diluted.
After they closed that building you then collected it from behind the courthouse.

dunc99 wrote:I certainly can't think of any other use the building has been put to in the last 50 years.

It was used for a nursery/playgroup in the eighties.

jeanette

i thought it was being turned into a youth hostel, i overheard a conversation in the post office queue months ago and from what i heard it sounded like it had already been decided that this would be the best use and those concerned were in the process of seeking funding for the work needed to turn the building into a youth hostel.

the number of beds and the standard of cooking facilities were mentioned and it sounded as if plans were in a pretty advanced stage. far better something like this than having money spent to do the much needed repairs only for it to be used for some niche' purpopse which would die a death within a short space of time, something like a drop in centre for potential boy racers who can't afford their own car, so that they can watch and learn how to carry out the perfect "U" turn at the bottom of the big kiln?

i'd advice that those concerned don't tell the local press how much they intend to spend or like the previous plan by the local radio to buy premises to broadcast from and set up a recording studio with accomodation facilities, they'll be gazumped by some building or property firm who will turn it into flats for a tidy profit.

bill wrote:

dunc99 wrote:After they closed that building you then collected it from behind the courthouse.

Bet you were no stranger to that building bill

Only ever in it the once,the courthouse that is,and that was as a witness for George Cook.

tell us more Bill!

It was when the Co-op grocery shop was in the Longrow.George was ofcourse the manager ,and I was a lowly assistant,way back in 1967.

We used to stack stock etc. in the close for loading on to the two mobile shops.One day a lady using the close tripped over one of the boxes injuring her leg.She claimed the Co-op was negligent,the case went to court,with George being the manager he was the one in the dock.I was called as a witness for the defence,and that was the one and only time I have set foot in the courthouse.

What was the outcome of the courtcase?

I can't for the life of me remember ....Well it was 40 years ago