Shelters History >Timeline
1949 Whiting Bay Improvements Association took the decision to erect shelters throughout the village. They began with plans for 3 shelters. Permission was given by Arran Estates following a visit by the Duke of Montrose and the association’s Architect Mr. Wilson.
Bute County Council approved the plans for 3 shelters at the locations shown on the plans. We do not have records explaining why Shelter No.2 was not built at that site between Melbourne and the County Garage, but can only assume the committee realised a site near Arnhall was a more suitable location. Arnhall at that time was an Old Peoples Home and that bus shelter and stop would have been very busy. Shelter 3 was erected north of Greenview as instructed by Arran Estates. The rent to be paid was 2/6d per shelter which would be around £4 per shelter today.
1953
minutes extracted from Committee Meeting 8th December 1953
Whiting Bay Improvemets Association
“Sec. intimated that County Council had passed plans for proposed shelter at Auchincairn Rd. and was contacting Arran Estates for their views on receipt of plans for “Kings Cross Shelter” he would pass same to Builders as named by Committee to get tenders for same”
General Secretary A.C. Lennox
Chairman Colin M. Miller
Treasurer H.S.Cook
Auchincairn Shelter No 4
Three estimates for erection of the Public Shelter near Auchincairn were considered and on the motion of Wm. Cook, seconded by C. Bannatyne it was unanimously agreed to accept the offer of J. Thomson Builder, Lamlash (ie £66-5/- basic offer plus £1-19/-for every foot by which the floor level is increased, and £4 for preparation of site).
minutes extracted from Committee Meeting 9th February 1954
Note. 13th April 1954 Final sum of £54-12-9d was passed for payment on completion of the shelter.
Kingscross Shelter No.5
It is assumed that this was built either the same or the following year, we have not been able to establish an exact date of authorisation or completion, just the note that plans were offered in 1953.
The minutes discuss suggestions to paint the shelters using “Snowcem” with a purpose to discourage “shelter artists” If only they knew what was coming!
1982 Community Arts’ Shelter
The above image is from Bernie Mitchell-Luker’s ” Arran Bus Book”: The history of the omnibus and coaching services in the Island of Arran 1830-1980
Note. This shelter was demolished when the sewage works were carried out by Scottish Water.
Ken and Chrissy Wolverton, of Kingscross organised community arts around the island in the early 1980’s
Here Aileen Aitchison is seen helping at a fundraising event with the Big Red Art Bus
1991 The Putting Green Shelter is demolished.
The Shelter survived the storm, but it did not survive a local person’s complaint of misuse later that year. Unfortunately it was demolished without any community consolation.
2010 July 29th.
The image below shows just how close Whiting Bay came to losing all of our shelters. On this day, John Lamont our community councillor spoke to the contractors who were placing these signs at each of our shelters. He discoverd that they were due to be demolished and replaced with nice shiny plastic ones.
John made calls to committe members Ian Cook, Barbara I’Anson and Liz Kennedy. A collective response and appeal to N.A.C. who in turn liased with S.P.T. saw the full responsibility for these shelters returned to the community.
There seems to have been an automatic take over of these shelters in 1975.
1975 Strathclyde Regional Council was formed. Also created at this time Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) From then, SPT “run the bus services and are responsible for delivering better public transport for all.” They also maintain all the bus shelters. However the Improvements association still ensured the shelters were painted if or when there was a need.
29/07/20102
Notes recovered from facebook that day: “Johnny McGovern organised the painting of the shelters this summer & they look great, then we found out there were plans to demolish them”!
Sign > Work Starts Here 06/08/2010
Barbara I’Anson I am now pleased to report that these last 4 shelters have now been removed from the programme and are no longer on the demolition list.
Barbara I’Anson facebook 29/07/2010
The future of the shelters will now rest with the community. Whiting Bay Improvements will be applying to NAC for ownership. This will mean that all liability & costs incurred will transfer to the improvements.
More fund raising !
Not a bad afternoon’s work,
All we needed was communication, a lot of people, dozens of phone calls and emails!
Sandbraes Shelter was badly damaged. Whiting Bay Improvements arranged repairs and soon had the shelter looking good again and ready for a very special project.
2014. Whiting Bay Artist David Aitchison plans to tranform the shelters and shares his wonderful vision and plans with the improvements.
The first painted shelter was completed in 2014 at Sandbraes
Arnhall Shelter was next to be painted by David. Whiting Bay Memories included the story of this shelter on our 2019 DVD. You can enjoy a video and hear the full story of this shelter told by the artist David Aitchison Here
COAST 
David’s third shelter was painted at Auchincairn.
A lovely romantic theme, how many people were married in this church?. There is room in this shelter to add a padlock and your names into hearts.
Moving up to Kingscross David’s fourth painted shelter.
The Bus Shelters today in 2024 give the village something unique and very special, as David says: “Whiting Bay The Jewel O’ The Clyde“
Flower boats and tubs
2011 Bay In Bloom
Whiting Bay Improvements have always managed to gather volunteers, and new volunteers are always made welcome, their ideas often convert into important events or village assets, none more so than the wonderful floral collection of flower boats and tubs around the village. It was Cate Templeton who organised the early volunteers rota for flower tubs. The image below is July 2011, Cate is showing appreciation to some of the tubs and boats volunteers.
2011 The first flower boat was donated, converted and prepared for planting by Dougie Bruce and Tom McNeish.
Tom and Dougie repaired and prepared all of the flower boats for planting. Dougie made the seabirds which stand proud at the top of each mast. They add the bunting each summer. This is carefully removed at the end of each season, ready for the Christmas Decorations.
Ebb Tide. This boat is our first, it is planted and maintained by Margaret and Dougie Bruce
High Tide followed soon afterwards and was planted and looked after by Anne and John Cruickshank for many years. This is now looked after by Linda and Trevor.
Tom and Anne McNeish have looked after this boat since 2011 and ensure it always looks bloomin’ marvellous. Tom’s dove keeps a watchful eye over it.
Boat No.4 opposite Smiddy Brae
An interesting back drop to the flower boat Wee Lassie managed by the Book Club/ Jan MacGregor since 2012. This image shows an SSE helicoper landing on the beach during the big snow of March 2013.
SSE helicopter was surveying the damage to power lines. Engineer Angus Raeburn leave the helicopter and calls in at the Burger Van which was dispensing free food. After many hours of working they were in need of some refreshment. It should be noted that Whiting Bay was fortunately snow free, but less fortunately power free.
Boat No 4. Opposite the Primary School
White Swan is looked after by the school pupils, they held a competition to decide the name of their boat. Reindeers add a touch of magic at Christmas, these boats will not be overcome by January storms.
Burlington The last boat to date (March 2024)
This boat is often referred to as Burlington Boy, the boat was from the late Sandy Taylor of the Burlington. Managed by Bernie Jackson it is located at the south of the village at the Glenashdale Bridge.
It should be noted that 2011 was not the first time floral displays were instigated by Whiting Bay Improvements. There are several references and suggestions in the minutes that residents could be asked to plant shrubs and flowers when the road had been widened. Molly Murray planted hundreds of daffodil bulbs which bloom every year from Kingscross to Kirkend. A mass planting of daffodils at the roadside of the Knowe Farm by Alistair and Hazel Mackenzie look wonderful. Sandy Cook planted hundreds of daffodils at Kingscross along the Mayfield track. There are many more areas like this. There are also tubs and daffodils planted at the village square by NAC.
1980’s the first flower tubs were planted opposite Trafalgar and Argentine by the Guides. When the guides no longer planted then Gigi (Giorsal Kroner) of Trafalgar took over the tubs and they have been blooming ever since for nearly 25 years.
There are 40 tubs all around the village now, each tub is carefully planted and tended by a volunteer. At times water has to be carried for quite a distance. Each and every one of them deserves our thanks.
Next time you see David, remember to thank him for the amazing Shelters.
We hope you have enjoyed the history of our shelters and “Bay in Bloom” If you have questions or additional information you would like to share or change. Please Contact Us
Have you read this but you are not able to visit Whiting Bay? If so, perhaps you would like to try our Quiz? CLICK here for the village family quiz
You can also drop in to the group. We meet each Monday morning in Whiting Bay Lesser Hall 11am – 1pm. You are all very welcome to join us any week.
History by Barbara I’Anson.
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Whiting Bay Memories 