Campbeltown hotel and former maternity hospital up for sale
A hotel and former maternity hospital where generations of Campbeltonians were born is for sale.
The Craigard House Hotel on Low Askomil, which was previously Craigard Maternity Home, is on the market for offers over £700,000.
Completed in 1882, the Italianate-style Victorian mansion was originally the home of William McKersie, owner of the now-defunct Lochruan Distillery.
It remained in the McKersie family until 1942 when it was sold to Argyll County Council and turned into a maternity home, which it continued to be until 1973, with the majority of the babies born in Campbeltown between those years being delivered there.
The house was then divided into two flats but they fell into disrepair and the building was sold at auction in a semi-derelict state in 1996 to its current owner Roger Clark who converted it into a hotel which opened in 1997.
Speaking to the Courier this week, Mr Clark said: “The building was in an awful state when I bought it.
“At the time, I still had the plastics factory [KV Wooster plant at Snipefield Industrial
Estate] so I got two guys from the factory and it took the three of us a year and two months to do up two bedrooms.
“After that I did the rest of the rooms myself, one at a time, and built the business up.”
Mr Clark lovingly restored and refurbished the building, managing to retain many of its original features including a decorative tower, wood panelling, painted glass windows, ornate cornicing and ceiling roses.
Today, the hotel boasts 13 comfortable and well-appointed rooms, many of which have stunning views of Campbeltown Loch.
As the birthplace of so many Campbeltown residents and natives, the building holds a special place in the community’s heart.
Mr Clark has always been keen to honour the building’s history, with record books for babies, mothers and staff of the maternity hospital, signed by thousands of hotel visitors, displayed in the hotel’s reception area.
“A considerable amount of Campbeltonians were born here, in what is now room five,” said Mr Clark.
“It’s a very interesting place. Some mothers have told me more about the building – it turns out that room seven, which is now a twin room with a double bed and a single bed, had three tiny little rooms sectioned off in it. I remember having to take them out to make it into one room. Apparently that’s where the nurses slept.”
Mr Clark revealed he is selling the building reluctantly and will ensure it is bought by someone who will continue to care for it.
“There’s a very good reason for selling it,” he said. “Two weeks ago I turned 80, so it’s time to do the things I want to do.
“I’ve got five acres of forest at Carradale and I would like to build a house up there and visit various countries that I haven’t been to before or that I haven’t seen much of.”
He added: “I’m very sad about selling the hotel but I can’t help my age. I’m going to be very careful about who I sell it to – I’m not going to sell it to anyone who won’t look after it.”