Sandbank ( or ''Taigh a' Chladaich'') is a village in

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...

, Scotland. It is located north of

Dunoon Dunoon (; ) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the cou ...

on the coastal A815 (low road) or the inland A885 (high road). It sits on the southern shore of the

Holy Loch The Holy Loch () is a sea loch, part of the Firth of Clyde, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The "Holy Loch" name is believed to date from the 6th century, when Saint Munn landed there after leaving Ireland. Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausole ...

, a

sea loch ''Loch'' ( ) is a word meaning "lake" or "inlet, sea inlet" in Scottish Gaelic, Scottish and Irish Gaelic, subsequently borrowed into English. In Irish contexts, it often appears in the anglicized form "lough". A small loch is sometimes calle ...

of the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...

History

Robertsons Yachtbuilders

Alexander Robertson started repairing boats in a small workshop at Sandbank in 1876, and

Alexander Robertson & Sons Alexander Robertson & Sons was a boatyard in Sandbank, Argyll, Sandbank, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, from 1876 to 1980. The yard was located on the shore of the Holy Loch, not far from the Royal Clyde Yacht Club (RCYC) at Hunters Quay, in the bui ...

went on to become one of the foremost wooden boat builders on the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

. The 'golden years' of Robertson's yard were in the early 1900s, when they started building classic 12- and 15-metre racing yachts. Robertsons was well known for the quality of its workmanship and was chosen to build the first 15-metre yacht designed by

William Fife William Fife Jr. (15 June 1857 – 11 August 1944), also known as William Fife III, was the third generation of a family of Scottish yacht designers and builders. In his time, William Fife designed around 600 yachts, including two conten ...

(''Shimna'', 1907). More than 55 boats were built by Robertsons in preparation for the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and the yard remained busy even during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in the 1930s, as many wealthy businessmen developed a passion for yacht racing on the Clyde. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the yard was devoted to Admiralty work, producing a wide range of large high-speed

Fairmile Marine Fairmile Marine was a British boat building company founded in 1939 by the car manufacturer Noel Macklin. Macklin used the garage at his home at Cobham Fairmile in Surrey for manufacturing assembly which is why the boats he designed came to be ...

motor boats. After the war, the yard built the successful one-class Loch Longs and two David Boyd designed 12-metre challengers for the

America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...

: ''Sceptre'' (1958) and ''Sovereign'' (1964). Due to difficult business conditions, the Robertson family sold the yard in 1965, and it was turned over to GRP production work until it closed in 1980. During its 104-year history, Robertson's Yard built around 500 boats, many of which are still sailing today. The yard ceased trading in the early 1980s, and the site was levelled soon after. It has since been replaced by residential building and the new Holy Loch Marina development.

U.S. Navy years

Sandbank was the site of the shore facilities of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

submarine base A submarine base is a military base that shelters submarines and their personnel. Examples of present-day submarine bases include HMNB Clyde, Île Longue (the base for France's Force océanique stratégique), Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, N ...

in the Holy Loch from 1961 to 1992, part of the

U.S. Atlantic Fleet The United States Fleet Forces Command (USFFC) is a service component command of the United States Navy that provides naval forces to a wide variety of U.S. forces. The naval resources may be allocated to Combatant Commanders such as United Sta ...

. It was, for thirty years, until the end of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, the home port of the U.S. Navy's

Submarine Squadron 14 Submarine Squadron 14 (SUBRON 14), also known as Site One, Holy Loch, was a United States Navy submarine squadron. It was based at Holy Loch, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, between 1958 and 1992. History During World War II, served as tender and staff ...

. , part of the old navy complex that was the former location of Morris & Lorimer's boat building yard, is a timber loading berth and marina.

Sport and recreation

National Cycle Route 75

Sandbank is on the National Cycle Route 75, which runs between

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and

Tarbert Tarbert () is a place name in Scotland and Ireland. Places named Tarbert are characterised by a narrow strip of land, or isthmus. This can be where two lochs nearly meet, or a causeway out to an island. Etymology All placenames that variously s ...

. The

National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout the United Kingdom, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the charity Sustrans who were aided by a £42.5 million N ...

is maintained by

sustrans Sustrans ( ) is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United ...

Holy Loch Sailing Club

The Holy Loch Sailing Club is situated in Sandbank.

Holy Loch Marina

Sandbank is the location of the Holy Loch Marina, a development with over 200 berths.

Amenities

Sandbank Primary School was originally located in the village centre between 1864 and 1977, when it moved to a new building to the southeast of the village, but still on the high road. , after the closure of the Oakbank Hotel, there are no

public houses A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

in Sandbank. It followed the closure of the Holy Loch Inn, at the head of Rankin's Brae, in 2023. The former Sandbank Parish Church (built in 1868) stands on the high road. Its congregation merged with that of Kirn Parish Church in 2017, becoming

Kirn & Sandbank Parish Church Kirn & Sandbank Parish Church is a Church of Scotland church building in Kirn, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It also serves the population of nearby Sandbank. The church is located on Kirn Brae at its junction with Marine Parade, which leads to and ...

, and its church building was put on the market.

Cemetery

Cowal Cemetery is located on the high road (A885) between Sandbank and Dunoon. It was established in 1972.Sandbank Cemetery
- Canmore.org.uk

Gallery

Image:Dusky Holy Loch - geograph.org.uk - 1424420.jpg, Dusk on the Holy Loch Image:Sandbank, long jetty - geograph.org.uk - 922930.jpg, Ardnadam Image:Sandbank Primary school. - geograph.org.uk - 1357981.jpg, Sandbank Primary school

References

External links

Holy Loch Marina - website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandbank, Argyll Villages in Cowal Firth of Clyde Highlands and Islands of Scotland