Ballachulish, General
Village (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Ballachulish, General
Classification Village (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) Ballachulish Village; West Laroch, General
Canmore ID 76814
Site Number NN05NE 15
NGR NN 0800 5800
NGR Description Centred on NN 0800 5800
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/76814
- Council Highland
- Parish Lismore And Appin (Lochaber)
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Lochaber
- Former County Argyll
NORTH APPIN Traditionally the territory of the Stewarts, North Appin is still haunted by the story of the Appin Murder, and its chilling aftermath - see p.75 for more Ballachulish A sprawling village at the base of three vast slate quarries, once the most important in Scotland, now closed and re-landscaped. Quarrying was begun here as early as 1693; in 1761 Stewart of Ballachulish is said to have opened a slate quarry on his farm at Laroch, and by 1845 the industry was employing over 300 men. By the early 20th century, Ballachulish was producing 26 million slates annually. The quarries closed in 1955 and today the largest, with terraced workings above, is a partly flooded, jagged gash above the village; further west, the other two appear like giant heels in the landscape. The A82 bypasses the village on partly reclaimed land, avoiding the route of the former road which ran through an inclined arch, c.1822 , built of slate rubble to support slate wagons running between the working faces and the piers. The character of Ballachulish has changed considerably since its quarries closed, though vestiges of the older village can still be glimpsed amidst later housing.
['... long neat rows of slate-covered cottages ... the crowd, the activity, noise, and bustling industry of this place, contrast agreeably with the stillness, solitude and silence of the scene behind'.(Larkin 1818)]
Taken from "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Mary Miers, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk
