Thank you, Lana-Emerald. I'm glad you enjoyed (perhaps not the write word) reading it. It is disconcerting that land ownership in rural Scotland is more concentrated today, despite two decades of reforms. The mind boggles!
Thanks Robbie / Jonathan for publishing the comment - I appreciate the openness. The piece raises some really important issues and it is great to have them aired. As always there is so much more to do. I hope we can continue the discussion. As the recent piece in the Guardian* showed the role of food in regeneration is not straightforward. Add to that challenges around land ownership and, distinctly, land use and there is a lot to get right (or wrong)! Thanks for raising the issues.
I grew up in Rothesay, not far from where Bute Yard is located. I left in my mid-twenties. Bute was, and is, an island that I love (my family are still there) but which frustrates the hell out of me. There are locals who have always moaned about their lot yet have never supported anything that is remotely different from the familiarity they are comfortable with. Basically, they want things to remain the same, even though it’s a stance which has contributed to decline.
I pop into Bute Yard whenever I go back to the island (2-3 times a year) and was thrilled when a drinking establishment in Rothesay finally reflected the times; a place where I could actually get craft ale or a glass of wine instead of one of those wee bottles you get on planes. ‘Who is using Bute Yard, is it the people with the most poverty on the island?’ – it’s a ridiculous question and statement. Of course it’s mainly residents who use Bute Yard. I recognise people I grew up with every time I’m there, people who also grew up on the islands’ housing estates (small though they are). I don’t know Nadia, so don’t know how well she knows these locals. I also know plenty who wouldn’t frequent Bute Yard even if the prices matched the ones in their local.
There’s a sort of inverse snobbery in some social circles on Bute. When the Gather Deli and its wine bar opened, there was criticism in some quarters because it was felt to be too fancy … God forbid.
Since I was old enough to notice, it’s an attitude that has driven me mad. I have mixed feelings about the virtually monopoly Mount Stuart Trust has, but I also believe that if it was left to Bute’s perennial complainers, nothing would ever change for the better.
Anyway, thanks for this. It’s interesting and thought-provoking to read a fresh take on the Crichton-Stuart’s impact on Bute. I’ll be getting on to my sister now to ask, ‘Do you know so-and-so.’
Wow, thank you, Robbie. What an impassioned and well researched piece, eye-opening
Thank you, Lana-Emerald. I'm glad you enjoyed (perhaps not the write word) reading it. It is disconcerting that land ownership in rural Scotland is more concentrated today, despite two decades of reforms. The mind boggles!
Thanks for your reply! Yes, not the right word. Disconcerting indeed 🫶
Thanks Robbie / Jonathan for publishing the comment - I appreciate the openness. The piece raises some really important issues and it is great to have them aired. As always there is so much more to do. I hope we can continue the discussion. As the recent piece in the Guardian* showed the role of food in regeneration is not straightforward. Add to that challenges around land ownership and, distinctly, land use and there is a lot to get right (or wrong)! Thanks for raising the issues.
* https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/mar/20/britains-bitter-bread-battle-what-a-5-sourdough-loaf-tells-us-about-health-wealth-and-class
I love the framing of Bute as Scotland in miniature…a stimulating, slightly worrying read. Cheers!
Thanks, Rory. Similarly, I loved your analogy of a shipwrecked Glasgow as Hill House writ large!
I grew up in Rothesay, not far from where Bute Yard is located. I left in my mid-twenties. Bute was, and is, an island that I love (my family are still there) but which frustrates the hell out of me. There are locals who have always moaned about their lot yet have never supported anything that is remotely different from the familiarity they are comfortable with. Basically, they want things to remain the same, even though it’s a stance which has contributed to decline.
I pop into Bute Yard whenever I go back to the island (2-3 times a year) and was thrilled when a drinking establishment in Rothesay finally reflected the times; a place where I could actually get craft ale or a glass of wine instead of one of those wee bottles you get on planes. ‘Who is using Bute Yard, is it the people with the most poverty on the island?’ – it’s a ridiculous question and statement. Of course it’s mainly residents who use Bute Yard. I recognise people I grew up with every time I’m there, people who also grew up on the islands’ housing estates (small though they are). I don’t know Nadia, so don’t know how well she knows these locals. I also know plenty who wouldn’t frequent Bute Yard even if the prices matched the ones in their local.
There’s a sort of inverse snobbery in some social circles on Bute. When the Gather Deli and its wine bar opened, there was criticism in some quarters because it was felt to be too fancy … God forbid.
Since I was old enough to notice, it’s an attitude that has driven me mad. I have mixed feelings about the virtually monopoly Mount Stuart Trust has, but I also believe that if it was left to Bute’s perennial complainers, nothing would ever change for the better.
Anyway, thanks for this. It’s interesting and thought-provoking to read a fresh take on the Crichton-Stuart’s impact on Bute. I’ll be getting on to my sister now to ask, ‘Do you know so-and-so.’