Lochaber is marking 150 years of the roaring game
Nearly 150 years ago a group of Fort William’s townsmen gathered in the Caledonian Hotel – what is now McIntyre’s solicitors opposite the West Highland Museum – and resolved that a local curling club should be formed.
And next month, Lochaber Curling Club will celebrate a century and a half of playing ‘the roaring game’.
It was on January 28, 1870, that the meeting officially resolved to form a curling club which has been continuously active ever since and continues to compete against other curling cubs in Inverness and has its own league competitions played in Glasgow.
For the first 100 years of the club, the sport was entirely dependent on weather conditions. When the ice came, a notice was hung on the railings of the now demolished Kennedy Monument in Cameron Square announcing ‘Curling in Glen Nevis tonight’.
Some 32 members are listed in the 1870 club minutes book and numbers have remained fairly steady ever since.
The early exploits of the club are worthy of some admiration: The Glasgow Herald of, January 5, 1885, records that ‘The Lochaber Curling Club had an excellent game on Saturday. The knights of the broom, getting impatient that there was no ice to play on the low ground, resolved to ascend to Lochan Meall-an-t-Suidhe 1850ft above sea level.
‘Accordingly, three horses were laden with curling stones and brooms. These were despatched at 8 A.M., and the curlers left at 9 A.M., arrived at the lake 10.30 A.M., and found the ice excellent, of unknown thickness, and any strength.
‘There was no snow on it, but slight snow fell during the game. Play was continued for four hours. A number of skaters followed the curlers. The whole party arrived at Fort-William at 6 P.M.’
It’s recorded that a curling club at Spean Bridge preceded that of the Lochaber club and the naming of the Fort William Club as the Lochaber CC caused some consternation in Spean Bridge circles at the time. They, too, must have been a hardy bunch – their first curling rink was 2,000ft up the hill behind Letterfinlay.
There were curling ponds all over Lochaber including Ardgour, Onich, Ballachulish, Invergarry, Roybridge and Spean Bridge where there were two – the Spean curlers actually complained during construction of the West Highland Railway in 1894 that the proposed line was too close to their curling pond and asked them to build another for them – which they did.
Another famous exploit of the Lochaber curlers is recorded in The Scotsman newspaper of February 13, 1895, written by local headmaster Colin Livingstone and later president of the club, titled ‘Curling under difficulties.’
Taking advantage of the opening of the West Highland Railway, a curling match was arranged at Rannoch with the Lochaber curlers arriving from Fort William by train and the curling club of Dall gathering from the south.
The game started straightforwardly enough but as it progressed, a flurry of snow developed into a blizzard and when the curlers could not see from one end of the ice to the other they retreated to a workman’s hut left from the construction of the railway.
Little did they know that this storm heralded the onset of the severe winter of 1894/5 which rapidly progressed to block the railway. They were marooned at Rannoch for three days.
The club’s Chris Robinson told us this week: ‘Outdoor curling, which sustained the club for 100 years, is now rarely possible and regular competitions are currently held at Greenacres ice rink near Paisley.
‘In addition, we compete against other clubs at Inverness Ice Rink.
‘In recognition of this century and a half of curling locally, we intend to produce a small booklet which will tell the story of curling in Lochaber.’
And Mr Robinson says the the club would like readers of the Lochaber Times to share any information, family connections or tales concerning curling in Lochaber, from Knoydart to Glencoe, and from Corrour to Ardnamurchan Point.
And he added: ‘We would also be very keen to see and copy or record any photographs or memorabilia such as any curling medals or cups which may still be about locally.’
Should you be able to help, please contact Mr Robinson at 01397 712150 or email Mr Robinson at creakingshelves@btinternet.com.
And if you would like to try curling with a view to joining what is believed is the oldest sporting club in Lochaber, just telephone that same number.
It was on January 28, 1870, that the meeting officially resolved to form a curling club which has been continuously active ever since