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INVERKIP Inverkip is a village and parish (which was also known as Innerkip) in Inverclyde, Scotland. It lies about 4 miles south west of Greenock on the A78 trunk road. The village is served by Inverkip railway station, on the Inverclyde Line. Inverkip's Main Street features mostly traditional buildings. Newer developments exist elsewhere in the village. History Innerkip was made a burgh of barony before the Act of Union in 1707, with the parish containing all of Gourock, Wemyss Bay, Skelmorlie and part of Greenock. Inverkip Parish Church dates from 1804 and is on the site of an earlier (twelfth century) kirk. The graveyard contains the tomb of the chemist Dr. James Young who was nicknamed 'Paraffin' because of his pioneering work in oil technology. He lived at nearby Kelly House, which burnt down in 1913, the report laying blame with the suffragettes. The parish of Inverkip's chief claim to fame (or notoriety) was in relation to witches in the mid seventeenth century. A local verse recalls "In Auld Kirk the witches ride thick/ And in Dunrod they dwell/ But the greatest boom amang them a'/ Was Auld Dunrod himsel'." 'Auld Dunrod' was the last of the Lindsay family of Dunrod Castle. As the result of a dissolute life he lost all his possessions and fell into the black arts. Local reputation had it that he was in league with the devil, and he died in mysterious circumstances in a barn belonging to one of his former tenant farmers. Nothing now remains of the castle which stood at the foot of Dunrod Hill. Places of interest Today Inverkip is mainly of significance because of the large marina which has grown steadily since the 1970s and now boasts a small community of its own called Kip Village. Nearby the flue of the mothballed power station - another creation of the 70s - looms large. Lunderston Bay[1] is a popular picnic spot nearby and the classical Ardgowan House, built for Sir John Shaw-Stewart in the seventeenth century stands outside the village. It occasionally has open days and charity fêtes. The late fifteenth century Ardgowan Castle is a ruin within the estate. |
WEMYSS BAY Wemyss Bay ("Wemyss" pronounced weemz /'wi:mz/) is a village on the west Coast of the Firth of Clyde in the district of Inverclyde, Scotland. The name derives from the Gaelic uaimh, meaning 'cave'. It is the port for ferries to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. Passengers from the island can connect to Glasgow by train, which terminate in the village at the truly magnificent Wemyss Bay railway station, with a notable clock tower. It was designed by James Millar in 1903 for the Caledonian Railway and the interior is an unforgettable essay in glass, steel and curves. It is one of Scotland's finest railway buildings. History Wemyss Bay was created in the early 19th century as a 'marine village' and watering-place by Robert Wallace of Kelly, whose lands were adjacent to the bay. Wallace became Greenock's first MP and was instrumental in establishing the penny post. |