Statement of Special Interest
Bannatyne is a mid-19th century cottage on the Crinan Canal - a landmark sea-to-sea canal on the west coast of Scotland and one of only five surviving canals in the country. The corniced door-piece, quoins and distinctive faceted gatepiers indicate that the cottage was built by and for the stone masons who were employed to repair this stretch of the canal after major damage was caused by heavy rains in February 1859. Its gatepiers and other architectural details distinguish it from earlier examples of lock keeper's cottages on the Canal such as Oakfield House and Crinan House (see separate listings) and the example opposite (Rhubadach Cottage).
Bannatyne Cottage was extended by one bay to the left in the late 19th century and is shown occupying its current footprint on the 1898 Ordnance Survey map. It survives little altered externally since that date and it forms part of a related group with an earlier but more recently altered bridge keeper's cottage opposite, and the retractable road bridge between the two locks at Dunardry.
The canal, tow path and the bridges that cross it (excluding modern road surfaces) and a number of other associated structures are a Scheduled Monument. See Scheduled Monument No 6500 for full details.
The Crinan Canal was one of more than 50 canals projects approved in Britain between the years 1790 and 1794. This intense period of canal building dramatically increased the opportunities for trade arising from the new industries of the period and decisively ended the situation in which heavy materials could only be moved short distances without the aid of navigable rivers or coastal transport.
Taking its name from the village at its north-westerly end, the canal is 14 kilometers long, rising and falling through 15 locks. It was built to stimulate trade between the Clyde area and the Inner Hebrides by avoiding the 130 kilometer journey around the Kintyre peninsula. The canal transported numerous freights, particularly slate and kelp from the north, coal and bricks from the south. Services included postal and passenger traffic.
The Crinan Canal is renowned for its striking landscape and scenic variation over its relatively short length. The canal-side buildings are largely 19th century with simple detached cottages defining the small settlements along the route. The canal had a long and troubled development history with shortages of labour, building materials, structural issues and related financial concerns. The perseverance needed to complete and continue to maintain the canal despite these set-backs, amid the evolving industrial and commercial landscape of the 19th century, are part of the canal's significance.
Engineer James Watt had surveyed possible routes for the canal as early as 1771. James Rennie proposed an alternative route in 1793 and work began the following year, with the canal opening to traffic in 1801. Under the advice of pre-eminent Scottish engineer Thomas Telford, a major refurbishment of the canal was undertaken in 1817, funded by the Government. Telford's recommendations resulted in a complete overhaul at a cost of over 18000 pounds. Substandard stonework, lock gates and bridges were repaired or replaced, banks were raised, bends straightened and rocks removed to level the canal bed. The canal effectively came into public ownership after these works were complete.
Traffic through the Crinan increased considerably after the opening of Telford's Caledonian Canal in 1822. Using both canals, boats could now travel from Glasgow to Inverness. Queen Victoria navigated the Crinan Canal in 1847 and passenger steamer companies were quick to advertise a 'Royal Route'. By 1866 a specially designed Canal steamer called The Linnet was introduced to help cope with the increasing passenger numbers. The Linnet remained in service for the next 65 years. The Canal required further repair during the 1870s, during the time Bannatyne Cottage was built. Between 1930 and 1932, new sea locks were built at either end of the Crinan Canal, making it accessible at any tide. The Canal has continued to operate as a centre for tourism in the area into the 21st century with around 2000 yachts, fishing boats and pleasure cruisers travelling through its locks each year.
Listed as part of the Scottish Canals estate review 2013-2014.