Bonawe house was initially built as the managers house for Bonawe Iron Furnace. This furnace was established in 1753 by a Cumbrian company to smelt iron ore imported by sea from Cumbria. They were attracted to Bonawe and the surrounding area by the plentiful supply of wood necessary in the smelting process (Cumbria had already burnt up all its wood!). Following the Cumbrian experience, it was decided to coppice the wood in this area, which is why we still have so many trees. The furnace consists of several buildings and outhouses and has been carefully restored by Scottish Heritage to provide a fascinating museum. A lade to draw water from the river Awe was constructed and provides a pleasant half mile walk.
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.
The Manager's House
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, with access from the car park. You are welcome to wonder round here.
Into Private Hands
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.
Holiday Cottages
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!
The Present
We bought Bonawe House in January 1999 (the day Renate was in labour with Anja!) and run it ourselves. We have carried out extensive upgrading works, including putting showers in the cottages, new carpets and upholstery, new slate roof on Honeysuckle cottage, renewing the kitchens and adding original paintings by local artists to give a more West Coast of Scotland feel. We have many other projects planned, like dishwashers throughout but the most major project is to install central heating throughout at some point in the future, technical and economical considerations allowing.
We like to encourage the use of the Edwardian Wing as a focal point for group courses. For several years we have had courses for violin and cello players in February, which are very popular. Practice takes place in the cottages in the mornings with a tutor in small groups, and a get together in the Edwardian in the evenings. Rosalin Dickin (01594 827 666) organises these courses in a very relaxed style, and there is always space for non-playing partners to come up as well. There are both beginners and advanced courses.
We live with our two daughters Anja and Ceri on the first two floors of the main house. We try to bring them up bilingually in English and Dutch, as Renate is Dutch, but they're already favouring English in all respects. Damon's mother, Barbara, lives in the newly built bungalow in the walled garden.
Our background is in teaching (Damon) and engineering (Renate), but we have always loved Scotland for the mountains. Climbing, walking and cycling made us weekend commuters to the Highlands from Rochdale before we moved up.