Little Cumbrae The Gaelic name Cumaradh means place of the Cymric people, referring to the Brittonic-speaking inhabitants of the Kingdom of Strathclyde.[1] Alternatively, the name Cumbrae may derive from Kil Maura meaning cell or church of a female saint.[6] Little Cumbrae was recorded as Kumbrey circa 1300, Cumbraye circa 1330 and Litill Comeray in 1515[6] and was also formerly known as Little or Wee Cumray.[4] The Cumbraes are referred to as the Kumreyiar in the Norse Saga of Haakon Haakonarson.[7] Geography[edit] Little Cumbrae lies barely a kilometre to the south of its larger neighbour, Great Cumbrae, a few kilometres distant from the mainland town of Largs. The islands are collectively referred to as The Cumbraes. In stark contrast to its neighbour, green and fertile Great Cumbrae, Little Cumbrae is a rough and rocky island. With its many cliffs and rocky outcrops, Little Cumbrae bears more of a resemblance to a Hebridean island than to some of its neighbours in the Clyde. A number of uninhabited islets skirt the islands east coast, Castle Isle, the Broad Islands and Trail Isle. Today the islands main settlement is at Little Cumbrae House on the eastern shore, facing the Scottish mainland. Little Cumbrae seen from the Haylie Braeon the mainland. Note Great Cumbrae in the foreground at the right and Arran beyond. Robert II is said to have built a castle on the island which was demolished by Cromwells soldiers in 1653.[8] In the early 20th century, under the ownership of Evelyn Stuart Parker, a new ‘mansion house’ was created from the original single storey farmhouse, the gardens were laid out to a plan by Gertrude Jekyll, the renowned garden designer, and substantial repairs were undertaken to the castle and the original lighthouse. The original work commenced in 1913, with subsequent alterations made between 1926 and 1929 when the square tower and top floor were added. Little Cumbrae is the birthplace of James Archbald, the first mayor of Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Cumbrae Lighthouse[edit] James Ewing built the first Little Cumbrae lighthouse on the top of Lighthouse Hill in 1757. This was the second lighthouse in Scotland.[9] An open fire was lit at the top of a circular stone tower. Remains of this old structure can still be seen. The traditional Cumbrae Lighthouse was built in 1793 by Thomas Smith under commission from the Commissioners of the Northern Lights. The lighthouse lies on a broad raised beach on the western shore of the island looking out into the Firth. It had a foghorn, slipway, jetty, and boathouse. The original oil lamps were replaced by Argand lamps in 1826 and a solar-powered light was installed in 1974.[9] The 1793 tower has been unused since 1997, with the light on 36-foot hexagonal/cylindrical tower adjacent to the old generator
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 13:57:27 +0000
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