In January 1899, Campbeltown's new Library and Museum was formally handed over to the town by its donor, James MacAlister-Hall of Tangy and Killean. At the same time, at a ceremony in Killean House, the Town Council conferred upon their benefactor the Freedom of the Burgh. It was an honour rarely given and, as local boy made good, James MacAlister-Hall certainly valued it.
The Library had cost MacAlister-Hall a great deal, but it was only the crowning act of a man who had quietly exercised generosity to a number of local charities.
The absence of a Free Public Library had been an affront to civic dignity. Earnest but respectable bodies such as the Kintyre Scientific Association pressed the case and, in December 1895, began an appeal. By January 1896, MacAlister-Hall had come forward offering to fund the whole project, which in the end amounted to £ 12,000, including building, furnishings, books and endowment. Local families contributed exhibits for the Museum.
One man, unable to attend the opening ceremony, was the architect, John James Burnet. He was one of the best Glaswegian architects of the period and his work at Campbeltown Library exemplifies his customary beaux arts philosophy to 'produce a building efficient for its purpose, suitable for its size and so simple in its conception that it appears a perfect harmony, created without effort', dedicated to 'the integrity and purpose of the generation in which it was built'.
The result proclaimed a building with all the dignity expected of its age, its cupola proclaiming civic achievement, its portal celebrating its patron, and its consummate style appropriately clothing its utilitarian form with subtle sweetness.
In its courtyard, a roof deriving ftom the American shingle style covered a veranda for the more precious outdoor exhibits. Inside, the internal spaces of the reading rooms and Library store opened off the central hall or newsroom, leading through the larger reading room to the Museum.
As a reminder that vandalism is not new, in 1900 the Argyllshire Herald ran a small article pointing up the 'grossly obscene' graffiti in the gents' and ladies toilets! However, as late as 1960, the Library Committee was protective of the town's morals, forcing themselves to read Lolita before deciding if they ought to place it on the shelves.
No 45 Spring 1999
Page 2: Janet and Marie Morrison's 1999 Trip to Scotland - The Final Part
Page 3: The Ralston Correspondence - Part One
Page 4: Bits and Bobs / Genealogical Queries
Page 5: Heather McFarlane's Page - The Will of Miss Lucy Campbell
Page 6: Campbeltown's New Library & Museum, 1899
Page 7: Aurora Borealis / Distribution and Breeding of the Barn Owl in Kintyre 1995-1998
Page 8: By Hill and Shore - Part One