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Geschiedenis van Bonawe House

Wij kochten Bonawe House in Janurai 1999 (de dag dat Renate aan het bevallen was met Anja!).  Wij hebben veel werk in de huisjes gedaan, nieuwe keukens, overal nieuw tapijd en vervanging van stoffen op de banken, nieuwe badkamers, alle matrassen vervangen, een nieuw leien dak op Honeysuckle cottage.  Ook hebben we overal nieuwe schilderijen gehangen met de smaak van de West kust, geschilderd door lokale schilders.

Wij wonen met onze twee dochters, Anja en Ceri op de begane grond en eeste verdieping van Bonawe House, het oude gedeelte.  Renate is Nederlands, en probeert de kinderen ook in het Nederlands op te voeden, maar dat gaat erg langzaam omdat hun wereld verder voornamelijk om Engels draait.  Op de lagere school krijgen de kinderen ook les in 'Gaelic', de taal die oorspronkelijk overal in Schotland gesproken werd.   Damon's moeder, Barbara, woont in de Bungalow die wij in de ommuurde tuin hebben gebouwd.

Damon's achtergrond is Wiskunde leraar en klim instrukteur.  Renate werkte als advizeur in energie besparing voordat we naar Schotland verhuistte, en werkt nu als freelance adviseur bij de Carbon Trust.  Damon leidt de Oban Mountain Rescue Team, die in 2000 werd opgezet om de politie in dit gebied te ondersteunen.  De afgelopen paar jaren hebben ze gemiddeld 20 'call outs' per jaar in de bergen, ze trainen 3 keer per maand, plus alle interaktie met de politie, helicopters en dan moeten ze ook nog zelf geld inzamelen voor al hun materialen, benzine voor de landrover enz.

Barbara is de moeder van Damon, en zij woont in het huis dat wij nieuw hebben aangebouwd in de ommuurde tuin.  Het 'nieuwe huis' is in de oude stijl gebouwd met tweedehands leien uit deze omgeving.

De Manager's Huis

Bonawe House was oorspronkelijk gebouwd voor de manager van de ijzersmelterij.  Deze smelterij was in 1753 opgericht door een bedrijf uit de Enegse Lake District.  Deze omgeving trok hun aan vanwege de overvloed aan hout die nodig was om houtskool te maken voor de smelterij process.  Houtskool kon niet worden getransporteert, maar de ijzererts kon makelijk met de boot hiernaartoe worden getransporteert.  Al het hout in de Lake Disttrict was al opgebrand.  Het was daarom besloten om de bomen hier niet af te zagen, maar te knopen, zodat het hout weer zou bijgroeien, en daaraan hebben wij het geluk dat er nog zoveel eiken en hazel bomen in de omgeving zijn.  De ijzersmelterij bestaat uit een aantal gebouwen en schuren die te bezichtigen zijn met de zogn van Scottish Heritage.  Een kanaal vanaf de rivier strekt voor bijna een kilometer voor onze wei langs naar de smelterij.  Het water draaide het waterwiel dat het lucht de smelterij in blies.

The small lochan within the grounds of Bonawe House was originally constructed to provide additional water if the river fell too low. Legend claims that cannon balls which were reputedly being made for the Battle of Trafalgar were dumped in the lochan when a rumour spread that the French fleet was sailing up the Firth of Lorn. It maybe that they are still there to this day! There is also a rather more grizzly local legend that names the lochan as "the loch of bones" The furnace finally closed its doors around 1894 but at its peak had employed 600 people and had a dramatic influence on the local economy and landscape.

Bonawe House was originally built as just the three storeys, without the big bay windows. What is now the reception area used to be the kitchen, with a slate floor that's still underneath the carpet tiles. The living and bedroom quarters were on the ground and first floor. We understand that the second floor (now Etive View) was the nursery. The stairs to Etive used to be the servant stairs, while the main staircase is in the centre of the house. The stairs in the Edwardian Wing were added on when it was separated out from the main house as a letting apartment. The attic above Etive used to be the servants quarters, and has three large rooms and three small rooms to full height. The construction of the house is very much in English building tradition (like the furnace), and the slates on the main house are understood to be from the Lake District. They are actually sea green when the lichen is cleared off from them.

The walled garden used to provide food for the occupants of Bonawe House, and extended to our next door house, 'Brackendale' where the orchard was. The soil in the walled garden is reputed to be Irish Peat that was brought back as ballast on the ships. Some 'dwarf trees' in the walled garden have grown to immense height thanks to the quality of the soil. We will be growing vegetables and fruit again in the part of the walled garden that's left.

At the turn of the 19th century Bonawe House and all the surrounding land was sold to the Huntington family from Nottinghamshire and converted into a country house and at this stage it was significantly extended to provide a country residence of some splendour, with the addition of the Edwardian Wing and several others. The Huntington's took great care of the gardens, and the rhododendrons were planted by Mrs Diane Huntington. She also planted the fig tree in our courtyard, which she had brought up from Gloucestershire in 1950.  It produces ripe figs every year.

Bonawe House has been operating as a Holiday Cottages since 1979. The cottages used to be the offices for the Furnace, and were used as the 'gun room' (Hydrangea), the 'boot room' (Clematis) and the 'garage' (Rose) during the Huntington's ownership. The family Beard first converted the outbuildings to holiday lets. They also had horses here, and part of Bonawe House includes the field at the front of the house. Between 1984 to 1999 Bonawe House was owned by the Leroys, who employed Ronnie and Margaret Dalgleish to look after the place. They also owned Killiechronan estate on Mull and the Manor Hotel in Oban.

The Leroys converted the main house into apartments. The oak panelling and ceiling beams in the Edwardian Wing was originally very dark wood, of the Edwardian era, and they bleached it back to pale and then stained it with a light oak stain. The wall between the living room and kitchen was also added at this stage, and is chip board panelling that looks remarkably much like oak.

The furniture in the Edwardian Wing is of period style, with the double bed still carrying the original stamp of 1900. The wooden cot in the master bedroom is of Dutch origin, fully inlaid with tulips, and it was filmed with Renate for the Antiques Roadshow in 2000. They explained that the cot was 19th century, and was used as a show cot for christenings. It was valued at £1500 to £2500. We understand that Mrs Leroy bought it at an auction in London in the 1980's, and that Ronnie and Margaret used it with both their girls. The central lamp in the master bedroom can move up and down with a counterweight, and has the electricity cabling braided over as the support. The bath is a traditional cast iron enamel bath from 1900, as is now so popular in the South of England. We have installed a bigger hot water tank than there used to be, so that you can have more than just a thin layer of water!