Publication Account
Date 1985
Event ID 1018730
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1018730
In 1768 in order to remove the village of Killarow from a position close to Islay House, Daniel Campbell of Shawfield and Islay founded the planned village of Bowmore on the east shore of Loch Indaal, perhaps on the site of an existing pier. The grid plan of the principal section of the village is well illustrated on the air photograph, with Main Street running from the imposing circular parish church to the pier just beyond the bottom of the picture. The more important axial streets are at right angles to Main Street, though Shore Street is curved for obvious reasons. The shape of many of the original feus is shown by the garden walls running back from the main frontages. The distillery founded in 1779 occupies the lower right of the photograph.
The parish church was built by Daniel Campbell in 1767 for the new village; it is circular on plan with a rectangular porch and tower looking down Main Street; the commanding position of the church has been compared to that of Inveraray. The interior retains a peW-layout of the latter part of the last century; there is also a dominant central timber column that supports a complex roof structure. A notable feature is the massive sarcophagus commemorating Lady Ellinor Campbell and WaIter Frederick Campbell on the east side of the interior.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Argyll and the Western Isles’, (1985).
