Back to Paisley this morning to seek out the school that
Elizabeth’s dad Alex attended – John Neilson Institute (affectionately known as
the “pudding bowl” because of its dome) and the church where he and Lucinda
were married, Oakshaw West, which were adjacent. The school has now been converted to
apartments, although it seems to retain its former external form, however
unfortunately the church was demolished at some time during the past seventy
years and a block of flats erected in its place. One of the residents of those flats kindly
invited us to park on the grounds while we went exploring on foot. About 500 metres down the road we found the
Oakshaw Trinity Church, a rather austere two-storey brick building with a
steeple at its rear, however when Deacon John McKenzie took us inside the
church we were astounded! Built in 1754, it seats 1,000 people, about half on
the ground floor and the rest in tiered seating in a form of a semi-circled
gallery. We were told that the ceiling,
93 feet in diameter, is the largest unsupported ceiling in Europe. John also told us of a worker who fell while
working from the steeple many years ago.
In the paved area below where he fell, his hat, handkerchief and
spectacles have been highlighted in the pebbled pavement.
Back to the car and we headed out of Paisley and on to the
open road north towards Strachur, stopping at a roadside farm shop to witness a
cow in the adjacent paddock happily chewing on a polystyrene road sign, while a
Highland steer looked on disapprovingly.
We continued in the rain to Inveraray Castle. Traditional home
of the Campbells, it is a magnificent
structure with the Armoury Hall, the first place you come to, containing
literally hundreds of firearms, muskets, pikes and swords. The main bedroom is haunted, as befits a
castle, and the grounds are equally magnificent. We pretend it’s our castle as
we both have Campbells in our family line through our mother (Elizabeth) and father (John).
We continued on to our lovely B&B in Strachur, with
views directly over Loch Fyne, then made our way up to the home of Auntie Betty
and Uncle Norman, who later took us to dinner at the local, Creggan’s Inn, then
back to Betty and Norman’s for a nightcap before retiring to our B&B for
the night.
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