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David Hutcheson 1799 – 1880 David Hutcheson bought his house at 4 Clairmont Gardens in 1857, and there is a distinct maritime influence in the décor of the house. David Hutcheson was born in Inverkeithing but moved to the west when his father set up a cooperage in Port Glasgow. His father died young, leaving David to care for his widowed mother. He started as a clerk in a cooperage, but left that in 1817 to work for a firm which owned two small steamboats which carried goods between Port Glasgow and Glasgow. He subsequently worked for a variety of shipping companies in Glasgow and eventually became the manager of the Ocean Steam Navigation Company. This company sold off their steamers involved in the West Highlands routes in 1851 and they were bought by David, who set up a company with three partners – himself, his brother Alexander and his brother-in-law David MacBrayne. Their fleet consisted of two track boats on the Crinan Canal and eight small paddle steamers, with limited accommodation. Initially the main focus was between Glasgow, Oban, Fort William and Inverness via the Crinan and Caledonian canals. This new firm began building boats too, which were much faster and grander, and went to Mull, Skye and Lewis with both mail and passengers. They were responsible for opening up the West Coast for tourism and they leased the island of Staffa so that visitors could go to Fingal’s Cave. Their fleet was well appointed and helped Oban became a tourist centre. The steamers enabled homes, grand villas and villages to be built throughout the West Coast and brought tourists from home and abroad to this area David Hutcheson was the moving spirit in opening up these West Coast routes and has been credited with bringing social improvement and economic prosperity to these once remote shores. When he died in 1880 he was buried near Oban and, in recognition of his standing and worth, a monumental obelisk was erected on the Island of Kerrera overlooking Oban Bay. He was a man of culture and liked literature, fine arts, music, poetry. He had a large circle of friends and was himself a poet. WILLIAM ROBERTSON – CIVIL AND MINING ENGINEER William Robertson was around 60 when he bought Number 4 in the late 1980’s and his family were still in their teens. He applied for planning permission to add a billiard room in 1892. They lived her until 1909 and as yet I have not been able to find out any further details. WALTER MACLEAN He was resident for only 3 years from 1909 until 1912 DR ALBERT A GRAY M .D. F.R.F.P.S. The first record of Dr Gray living in the house was in 1912. Dr Gray was born in Glasgow in 1869 so he was in his early 40’s when he moved here. He was born in Glasgow and studied medicine at Glasgow. He subsequently went to Munich for specialist training in diseases and surgery of the ear. As well as working at the Victoria Infirmary he contributed to ‘A Textbook of Physiology’ published in 1900. By the time he bought Number 4 he had published a series of books on the ear which were all beautifully illustrated. He became a university lecturer on diseases of the ear and was the surgeon at the Western Infirmary and the Cancer Hospital, and continued to publish both books and research papers extensively. He was a leading authority in his field and was internationally recognised, with awards from America and Groningen. He also was repeatedly elected to the chair of both British and International Otological meetings. He lived here from 1912 until 1928 with his wife and two sons, and retired around the time that his wife died in 1927. His later years were spent in London and he died in Glasgow on Jan 4th 1936 while on holiday in Scotland. DR JAMES N TENENT Dr Tenent lived at Number 4 from around 1930 until 1960 – around 30 years. The only information I have is that he was an Ophthalmic Surgeon and that he worked for the Dunbartonshire Education Authority in 1921. The Glasgow Eye Infirmary was just across Sauchiehall Street during that period, so if he had clinics there it would certainly have involved only a very short walk. Acknowledgements to the below, as well as the Mitchell Library. www.jstor.org/pss/25351458 www.jstor.org/pss/20427747 More detailed information can be obtained in the following websites and the Buchanan Bridge Club would like to acknowledge the information obtained from these sites: www.calmac.co.uk/company-history.html www.walkhighlands.co.uk/argyll/kerrera-hutcheson.shtml |