The History of the Tourist Industry on the Isle of Bute

Bute started to become a popular holiday resort in the Victorian Era. During this period whole households, including servants, would move to Bute for the summer. Wealthy merchants built grand houses around the town.

Many Victorians were keen naturalists. Their desire to watch sea creatures close at hand was satisfied at the Aquarium. This beautiful building still stands in Battery Place where its use has changed over the years from Aquarium to ballroom, shooting range, museum, swimming pool and now, renamed Beattie Court, has been converted into dwelling houses.

Health was one of the main reasons for the Victorian seaside holiday. In the 19^th century Bute had one of the first hydropathic establishments in the country at Glenburn House. This was replaced in 1890 by the Glenburn Hydropathic Hotel. Here you could wallow in special cold water baths. In 1911 the Kyles Hydro, now demolished, was built at Port Bannatyne. The Health conscious visitor could also buy spring water for a penny a glass at the Mineral Well on the shore beyond Craigmore Pier. It was reputed to be twice the strength of the water at Harrogate. Towards the end of the 19^th century the Improvement Committee had a structure built to house the well at a cost of £200. Unfortunately the spring was then ‘lost’, probably due to blasting operations in the neighbourhood. It has never been rediscovered.

Bute’s heyday as a holiday resort started in earnest when the working classes could afford a trip to the seaside. Steamers loaded (and sometimes overloaded) with passengers came ‘doon the watter’ from the Broomielaw in Glasgow. They called in at piers around the island – at Port Bannatyne, Rothesay, Craigmore and Kilchattan Bay. Steamers raced each other to be first in at the pier. The Clyde Steamers became as well known as the resorts they called at. In Bute Museum you can see models and memorabilia of many of these famous boats including part of the paddle box of the Duchess of Fife.

The accommodation for these new tourists was very different from the splendid mansions of their Victorian predecessors. Whole families crowded into ‘single ends’ in tenements. Landladies filled boarding houses to bursting point. The most basic accommodation was said to be little more than chalk marks on a floor to indicate where to sleep. When indoor accommodation was full it was not unknown for families to sleep in the Skeoch Woods until somewhere could be found. The tourists arriving at Rothesay would be greeted at the pier by the sight of a line of ‘Pointing Porters’ These well known characters, each wearing his porter’s badge (No. 1 can be seen in the Museum) lined up as the steamer arrived and pointed at the person whose bags they wanted to carry. The customer pointed back and the bargain was struck.

The arrival of so many foot passengers in Rothesay meant that the horse drawn transport was stretched to the limit. In 1902 trams came to Rothesay with the opening of the electric tramway from Rothesay to Port Bannatyne. By 1905 it had been extended to Ettrick Bay. Motor buses gradually replaced the trams and the last one ran on 30^th September 1936.

Entertainment was an essential part of a seaside holiday. First there was a bandstand but in 1924 it was replaced by the Rothesay Winter Garden. Many famous personalities, including Jack Anthony and Jimmie Logan began their careers in the town. The Pavilion was built little more than ten years after the Winter Garden and yet the style of these two buildings contrast greatly. The Winter Garden is constructed of iron and glass and is built in the Art Nouveau style whereas the Pavilion reflects the Art Deco style popular in the 1930s.

Tourists have always loved to send postcards and bring souvenirs from their holiday destinations. A selection of these can be seen in the Museum, ranging from the Mauchline boxes favoured by the Victorians to the crested china popular later on. A display of postcards show the town as it was when you could hardly move for summer visitors.

Bute is now a haven for those seeking the peace and quiet of a beautiful island. The various lochs attract many fishermen and for the golfer there are three courses. For the naturalist there is a wide range of flora and fauna. Those interested in the past will find many monuments tracing the history of the island, from the standing stones and cairns of the early inhabitants, through the violent history of Rothesay Castle, to the grandeur of Mountstuart House.

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