Kildonan ( gd, Cill Donnain) is a village on the south coast of the
Isle of Arran
The Isle of Arran (; sco, Isle o Arran; gd, Eilean Arainn) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Historically part of Butesh ...
in the
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. The village is within the parish of Kilmory.
History
The name Kildonan derives from
Saint Donan who is reputedly buried in the village. Early life in the village revolved around
Kildonan Castle (sometimes referred to as Kildonan Tower). Once a royal seat, the castle passed hands between various Scottish nobles, before latterly belonging to the
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
family in 1544, by which time they were the
Earls of Arran Earl of Arran may refer to:
*Earl of Arran (Scotland)
Earl of Arran is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It is not to be confused with the title Earl of Arran in the Peerage of Ireland. The two titles refer to different places: the Isle of A ...
. The Tower was later sacked and burnt by the
Earl of Sussex
Earl of Sussex is a title that has been created several times in the Peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The early Earls of Arundel (up to 1243) were often also called Earls of Sussex.
The fifth creation came in the Peera ...
around 1558. Ruined remains of the building are still in existence.
The first church built in Kildonan was The Free Church. It could accommodate 700 people.
Eventually the
United Free Church
The United Free Church of Scotland (UF Church; gd, An Eaglais Shaor Aonaichte, sco, The Unitit Free Kirk o Scotland) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or UP) and ...
gained favour in the village around the turn of the 20th century, but services continued in the Free Church until it closed in 1940.
Geography
Kildonan is situated on the southern coast of the Isle of Arran. There is a large sandy beach the length of the village, which is unusual for the geology of Arran where rocky beaches are far more common.
Community
The modern village originated from a few small buildings in the district, with the majority of local people engaged in farming. Overlooking the smaller islands of
Pladda
Pladda ( gd, Pladaigh) is an uninhabited island off the south coast of the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde at , western Scotland. It is home to the automated Pladda Lighthouse. The island is privately owned, having been put up for sale by Ar ...
and
Ailsa Craig
Ailsa Craig (; sco, Ailsae Craig; gd, Creag Ealasaid) is an island of in the outer Firth of Clyde, west of mainland Scotland, upon which microgranite has long been quarried to make curling stones. The now-uninhabited island comprises the r ...
in the far distance, Kildonan is a small but thriving community, with amenities in the village including the village hall, which opened in 1915.
School
There was a primary school in the village, but numbers on the roll declined so much it was shut in 1968. The School Houses are now available as holiday rental cottages. Schoolchildren from the village now attend the primary school in
Whiting Bay
Whiting Bay ( gd, Eadar Dhà Rubha, "between two headlands") is a village located on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland south of Lamlash and south of Brodick. It is the island of Arran's third largest settlement behind Lamlash an ...
, which is a few miles north, being ferried there and back each day by bus.
Economy
There is now only one hotel in the village, the Kildonan Hotel. The Breadalbane Hotel was closed in 2009 and partly demolished. A village shop, coupled with a B&B, also closed. The Post Office, located in the shop, is still open. A smaller version of the shop opened in the Kildonan Hotel. The Southbank Farm park, towards Kilmory, is no longer open to the public, but there is now a
woodturning
Woodturning is the craft of using a wood lathe with hand-held tools to cut a shape that is symmetrical around the axis of rotation. Like the potter's wheel, the wood lathe is a simple mechanism that can generate a variety of forms. The operator ...
studio based at the farm.
Kildonan was previously the site of the only coastguard station on Arran, but this was closed in 1981 when operations were transferred to
Lamlash.
References
External links
Visit Arran - Kildonan, Isle of ArranThe Daily Record - Kildonan Hotel
Villages in the Isle of Arran
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