Island life: Eco-homes built to tempt families into new life on Rum
Inner Hebridean community trust hopes to boost sparse population with two-bedroom properties, reports Jody Harrison
IT IS one of Scotland’s most isolated communities, home to 70,000 seabirds, “unbelievable numbers” of midges and just 35 people.
But now the Island of Rum is seeking fresh blood as the construction of a clutch of new houses gets under way for the first time in decades.
Applicants are being sought to rent four eco-homes being built on the Inner Hebridean island in a bid to bring new life to its shores.
And with each abode comes a wealth of opportunities, with a range of posts needing filled on the island, from childcare and food production to house maintenance and mountain tourism.
The scheme is the brainchild of the Isle of Rum Community Trust (IRCT), which took over land around the main settlement of Kinloch a decade ago following an agreement with the island’s owners, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
Previously, Rum had been home only to SNH staff, and was once nicknamed “Forbidden Island” for the way its inhabitants would question any visitor who arrived uninvited at the pierhead.
Now IRCT is hoping to build up the community of island-dwellers and turn their home into a “jewel of the Hebrides”, having already established three crofts, a bunkhouse and a campsite.
The addition of new homes means their plans can take a further step by hopefully attracting families to settle on Rum once again.
For possible incoming families, the island, which lies 17 miles from the nearest port, has a school and nursery. Despite the physical distance, new residents should not fear being cut off, as each home comes equipped with high-speed fibre broadband.
A spokesman for IRCT said: “The inner Hebridean island of Rum provides a stunning location to live and work on Scotland’s west coast. For many decades, if not centuries, it has been difficult, if not impossible, to think of moving to live on Rum without a job offer and a home to move into.
“These state-of-the-art, two-bedroom homes sit on the edge of the village of Kinloch, with clear sweeping views up to the majestic Rum Cuillin. These houses remove a major barrier to accessing the many working opportunities on the island.”
Lesley Watt, a mother of two children and long-term resident of Rum, welcomes the construction of new homes.
She said: “Rum has a small population. We need more families to fill our small school and to help grow our young community”.
Rum is an ancient place, and bears traces of some of the earliest known inhabitants of the land which would one day become Scotland.
Almost 10,000 years ago, mysterious hunter-gatherers lived on the island, perhaps drawn there by the presence of bloodstone, a handy alternative to scarce flint.
Down through the millennia, the island has been inhabited by many different groups, including the Beaker people – named after the distinctive pottery found in their graves – who replaced much of the population of the British Isles 5,000 years ago.
But it was in the modern age that the island had its greatest flourishing – but also its greatest tragedy. In 1825, like so many other places in the Highlands and islands, Rum was subjected to a mass deportation when its landlord decided to replace the crofting population with sheep. Tenant farming families were forcibly herded on to boats bound for Novia Scotia and the land fell silent.
In the years that followed, Rum became the plaything of rich landlords, who brought in deer when sheepfarming failed and turned the island into a shooting estate.
Madcap plans to run Rum’s two small rivers into a single, larger waterway capable of supporting a fishing beat came to nothing when the dam collapsed, but the folly of the wealthy was yet to reach its peak.
In 1888, the island was bought by John Bullough, a millionaire cotton-mill owner from Lancashire who was looking for a rural retreat. When he died three years later his son George built the rambling country home Kinloch Castle, which boasted an orchestrion that could simulate the sounds of brass, drum and woodwind, and had an air-conditioned billiards room and jacuzzi.
More than 100 people were employed on the estate including 14 gardeners in kilts, which had a golf course, tennis and squash courts, heated turtle and alligator ponds and an aviary.
However, the family’s interest in the island waned, and it soon found itself in the hands of the SNH.
Now it is hoped Rum could be on course for a more sustainable future.
Scottish Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart, said: “We understand the challenges of developing affordable housing in rural and island areas, which is why the Scottish Government has provided vital funding of £454,000 to the Isle of Rum Community Trust through our Islands Housing Fund to make this project a reality.”.”
WIRE-HAIRED Dachshund Maisie gets a kiss from owner Kim Mccalmont after being named Best in Show at Crufts.
Having already won the hound category, Maisie saw off competition from six other rivals to prove she is top dog.
She then caused giggles from the audience at Birmingham’s NEC by answering the call of nature during her victory lap.
Maisie’s win earns her owner a replica of the solid silver Keddall Memorial Trophy and a modest cash prize of £100.