Nine guides from Inveraray Castle recently paid a visit to Historic Kilmun as the two Argyll-based venues seek to forge stronger ties.

The guides, which included a Swiss intern from Lucerne, spent the day with Historic Kilmun’s own team of volunteers in order to find out more about the historic venue on the banks of Holy Loch.

Jennifer Bryson of Historic Kilmun commented: “It was great to welcome the team from Inveraray Castle in what is the latest initiative to build a stronger relationship with the venue.

“All of those visiting learnt about our own strong ties with the Clan Campbell and the Dukes of Argyll through the mausoleum with many not realising quite how interlinked our two venues are.

“They all got a taste for what Historic Kilmun has to offer as we approach the end of the 2024 season and we envisage further developments in the near future to build on the success of this latest visit,” added Jennifer.

Historic Kilmun is gearing up for another busy ‘Doors Open Days’ weekend in September.

The Scotland-wide initiative involves museums and historical landmarks opening their doors to the public free of charge for a weekend with September 21^st to 22^nd as the scheduled date for locations across Argyll and Bute.

The scheme has, in the recent past, resulted in record numbers of people visiting the historic church on the banks of Holy Loch and it’s hoped that 2024 will see that trend continuing given that it also coincides with Cowal Open Studios weekend that runs from September 20^th to 23^rd.

Historic Kilmun volunteer Sandy Craig commented “Visitors to the area and local people can get a taste for the vibrant arts scene and rich history that we have along the Shore Villages.

“There are so many stories to tell linked with this venue and it’s a great stopping off point for anyone wanting to take in the COS arts trail on this side of Holy Loch.

“The Doors Open scheme invariably proves very successful with far more visitors than normal making the most of the free entry. There are still many Cowal residents who have yet to visit Historic Kilmun and we hope they’ll take this opportunity to discover more about the heritage of the area.

“You’ll be able to immerse yourself in all things Cowal so here’s hoping for a bit of decent weather!” added Sandy.

New volunteer Margaret Stevenson (left) pictured with Sandy Craig (right)

Join us for our Songs of Praise special on Sunday 8th September from 7PM …and a reminder that Historic Kilmun will be opening up to the public free of charge for the weekend of September 21-22 as part of the Doors Open Days 2024 scheme…this coincides with the Cowal Open Studios weekend so why not immerse yourself in art and history for an ‘all things Cowal’ weekend!! Visit www.cowalopenstudios.co.uk for more details

Historic Kilmun plays host to a recital from accomplished organist Alan Tavener together with wife Rebecca, a soprano singer, on Friday 16 August 2024 from 7.30pm.

The evening will include A Trumpet Minuet by Alfred Hollins, A Highland Rose by Christopher Tambling and Ave Maria by Cesar Franck amongst a number of other compositions.

As a music graduate of the University of Oxford and an educational research graduate of the University of Strathclyde, Alan Tavener’s working life has always centred on choral leadership, embracing a wide spectrum from community choirs to the direction of Cappella Nova, with much in between.

Since 2019, he has been Director of Music at St Bride’s Episcopal Church in and, together with Rebecca, a part of the Music Ministry team at St Columbkille’s RC Church in Rutherglen

Rebecca studied Speech & Drama and Theology and became proficient on a number of early woodwind instruments before finding her true vocation as a singer, learning traditional bel canto vocal techniques.  In 1982 she co-founded Scotland’s first professional concert choir specialising in early music, Cappella Nova.

Rebecca launched her critically acclaimed ensemble Canty (four female voices with Bill Taylor on medieval harps) to mark the 800^th anniversary of St Hildegard of Bingen in 1998.

Tickets priced at £10.00 are available from Bookpoint or by calling 01369 706591.

A team of volunteers from Historic Kilmun were on hand to promote our historic venue at the recent Inveraray Highland Games held in the grounds of Inveraray Castle, ancestral home of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.

The weather stayed dry, the midges stayed away and our stand was perfectly situated next to an ice cream van, a huge temptation for our volunteers!

Our tombola went down very well with some great prizes on offer and, all in all, it was a great day. We’ll be back in 2025!