Scotland Fort William

At the western end of the Great Glen and overlooked by the Ben Nevis Range, Fort William is the main transport, commercial and visitor hub for the area. It is a popular base to explore the surrounding area. Cruise ships are regular visitors during the summer months and their passengers have brought money into the town which is now thriving with a lot of upmarket gift shops as well as the outdoor shops. There are few empty shops.

Traffic is kept well away from the town centre. The High Street is pedestrianised and reached by an underpass from the railway station beneath the very busy A82.

Fort William is a fairly ‘new’ settlement and didn’t exist before a wooden fort was built here in 1654 to keep peace in the Highlands and control the Clans. This was replaced by a more substantial stone fort in 1690 (see #2). A small settlement grew up under the shelter of the fort. Most of the fort was demolished when the railway arrived.

Before then, the main settlement had been at Inverlochy, a mile to the north, where the ‘Red’ Comyn had built a castle to control the southern end of the Great Glen. The Comyns were enemies of Robert the Bruce and, when he seized powe, he was determined to overthrow them and take their castle. The ruins of the old castle
can still be seen overlooking the River Lochy. The present Inverlochy Castle is a C19th baronial mansion a couple of miles away and now an upmarket hotel.

During the times of the Highland Clearances in the C19th, Fort William was one of the main ports of embarkation for Highlanders evicted from their crofts.

Tourists began arriving in the area at the end of the C19th when the railway arrived, attracted not only by the scenery but also the connections to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite uprisings.

Inverlochy now forms part of Fort William catchment area and was purpose built in the 1920s to house incoming workers for the newly built British Aluminium Company. A new pier was built and a narrow gauge railway know locally as the ‘Puggy’ line built to carry men and materials to and from the factory.

There is little else to note of its history except in 1896 this was the first town in Britain to light its streets using hydroelectricity.

The Nevis Range Ski Resort opened in 1989 and by 2005 Fort William was known as the ‘Outdoor Capital of the UK’. It is now a popular tourist spot on the way to Skye as well as attracting the outdoor enthusiasts.

The West Highland Museum on Cameron Square on High Street covers the history of the area and particularly the Jacobite risings with a good collection of exhibits.

Just a short distance down High Street St Andrew’s Episcopalian Church (see #3) with its tall spire.

The Parade is the large attractive green area in front of the 1881 Church of Scotland building (sometimes referred to as the Duncansburgh Macintosh Church) and the impressive Alexandra Hotel.

The war memorial is here along with a statue to Donald Cameron of Locheil, the chief of clan who died in 1905. He was a Conservative politician, diplomat and for a short time was a Groom in Waiting to Queen Victoria. It was erected by his friends and supporters.

The Peace Bell is one of many erected around the World. Hundreds of Budhist bells were destroyed in Japan during WW2 to make ship propellors and other military items. After the war, when the bells were replaced, many were referred to a ‘peace bells’. Many bells have been made since and the one here in Fort William.

There is also a slab of stone commemorating the Commandos in Lochaber.

Cont...

 

[Eleanor]

The Old Fort

This was one of three forts built along the Great Glen - the others were at Fort Augustus and Inverness.

The fort was built at the confluence of Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil. It replaced an earlier wooden fort, known as Inverlochy Fort, which built by General George Monk in 1654 for Oliver Cromwell, at the southern end of the Great Glen. It was an excellent defensive location. Not only could it be supplied by sea it also commanded the heavily used sea routes.

In 1690, William III ordered the rebuilding of a more substantial stone fort to control any potential Jacobite uprisings in response to the removal of the Catholic James II from the throne, as he still had strong support in the Highlands. The new fort had massive stone walls twenty feet high and was protected by deep ditches as well as the River Nevis and Loch Linnhe. Cannons were mounted on top of the walls.

A small settlement grew up around the Fort. Houses were built of wood and turf so could easily be burnt or knocked down in an enemy attack.

It was further fortified by General Wade in 1725, who also built miles of military roads to connect the forts, allowing quick and easy movement of troops. It withstood a siege during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 and was subsequently used as the base for the hunt of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Troops continued to be stationed here until 1855.

The fort was sold by the War Office in 1864 to Christina Cameron Campbell, who converted the barrack blocks into tenant houses. The ditch was filled in to provide gardens for the tenants.

In 1889, the land was compulsory purchase by the North Railway Company for the new railway line to Fort William which ran through the centre of the fort to a station near the steamer pier. The remaining walls formed a natural amphitheatre and the space was adapted for sporting activities. The fort buildings were gradually demolished and used as building stone, although the Governor’s House and office survived until 1948, although the panelling and banisters were removed to the West Highland Museum in 1936

In 1975 most of the fort’s remaining walls were bulldozed to make way for new roads and the redevelopment of a new railway station.

The massive arched gateway into the fort was carefully taken down and re-erected to form the entrance of the nearby Craig’s Cemetery on Belford Road.

Little remains of the fort today as the town’s railway station was built upon much of the original site. It is across the road from the railway station and Morrisons supermarket. There is a brief glimpse of the seaward wall when driving past.

The centre of the fort is now a large grassy area with picnic tables and an earthenwork bank up against the remains of the stone walls.

There is an old cannon on top of the wall and another near the road.

The sally port that gave access to the River Nevis is still visible and best seen from the road.

There are a series of display panels around the site and the Great Glen Way with thistle way markers starts from nearby.

Cont...

 

[Eleanor]

St Andrew’s Episcopalian Church

St Andrew’s Episcopalian Church with its tall spire is surrounded by its graveyard and reached off High Street through a lych gate.

There are few ‘attractions’ in Fort William, so the church does get a lot of visitors, even though there is limited information about it on the internet.

The first impression on entering is of bare stone walls and the rather forbidding appearance of the nave.

Looking closer once eyes have got used to the dark after very bright sunlight outside, there is a lot to see and admire. The carved stone and marble font is in the Baptistry at the back of the church.

On the floor is a lovely mosaic of Mary holding the Christ Child, with Joseph.

Set in the floor in front of the Baptistry is a brass memorial.

The chancel is stunning with its stone altar set with golden mosaics depicting the crucifixion.

The three seater sedilia on the south wall is equally impressive.

And don’t forget to look up at the painted wooden ceiling...