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With the recent spell of icy cold weather experienced on the island, volunteers at the Arran Heritage Museum in Brodick decided to do some digging into the past to see when the island last experienced such a cold spell.
According to their records the winter of 1946-47 was the worst the island had suffered for some 50 years.
‘So much snow fell from January to March of 1947 that huge areas of Britain were cut off from each other,’ said museum photographer Jim Arnold of Whiting Bay. ‘The rail network was paralysed by huge drifts. Coal was still the most important source of fuel for domestic heating and generating electricity. Not enough coal could be produced to meet the increased demand and little could be delivered without the trains. By February unemployment had reached two million and electricity was being rationed.’
A black and white picture from the museum archives shows Peighinn Cottage at Shedog, Shiskine, taken in March 1947.
The photographer is standing on a snowdrift about as high as the garden wall.
Jim said: ‘To create an up-to-date version I had to use step-ladders. I understand that in 1947 for some weeks if you wanted to travel over the String from Brodick to Shiskine vehicles had to go the long way round by the Machrie road.’
The people in the museum picture are: In the adult group on left, Mr and Mrs Willie Robertson, Archie Hamilton (bus driver), Dougie McGregor (joiner) and in the children's group on the right, Jim Robertson, Don Robertson, Mathie Robertson, Betty Brownlie, Isabel Brownlie and Janet Brownlie.
Jim would like to know if there are any other photographs or information about Arran's experience of the winter of 1946-47?
If you do have some recollections of that winter or would like to share your photographs then please contact the Heritage Museum on 302636.
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