The Lanark district and the beauties of the Clyde Valley have always attracted tourists, and with the coming of the railways many more day-trippers enjoyed the rocky splendour of the Falls of Clyde, considered by some as “the Switzerland of Scotland”.
Lanark Loch once supplied the town’s drinking water but following the construction of a new reservoir at Lochlyloch in 1880 existed mainly for the enjoyment of local residents. Lanark folk could promenade around its shore beneath the pleasant shade of the pines, or fish for perch and pike (or sometimes trout mischievously introduced by officers from the nearby militia camp). Winters were far harsher in late Victorian times, so the loch was an assured venue for curling matches and ice skating.
Little thought was given to promoting the loch as a tourist attraction until the mid 1890’s when a fanciful proposal emerged to form a limited company that would double the size of the loch and then earn profit from steamboat rides in the summer, and ice skating in winter. The idea (said to be that of a local clergyman) was ridiculed in the press and progressed no further.
In 1898 Lanark Town Council agreed that Captain Hugh Kirkwood could operate row boats on the loch during the course of the summer, (but not on the Sabbath), for an annual payment of £5. “Captain” Kirkwood had recently resigned as harbour-master at Girvan, and had a substantial number of rowing boats in store there. His little fleet seems to have sailed in a succession of Scottish waters, operating in Saltcoats harbour in the summer of 1885, North Berwick from 1886, Edinburgh’s St Margaret’s Loch in 1888. the New Harbour at Paisley in 1893, and the weir at Irvine in 1897.
At Lanark, the Captain’s flotilla consisted of 18 vessels of varying sizes, some capable of carrying as many as 12 passengers, and including a few fitted with sails. Some considered that there were far too many boats to safely operate in such a small area of water, and navigation was sometimes hindered by weed growth. The Town Council was however pleased with the arrangement and at the end of the 1898 season offered to renew the lease on similar terms. No record, however, has been found of Captain Kirkwood’s further boating operations at Lanark, or indeed anywhere else.
New plans soon emerged to develop the tourist appeal of Lanark Loch, led by Alexander Paul. A.P. Paul was son of a Lanark cotton-weaver, and progressed from general servant to butler before setting up in business as a restaurateur. He moved back to his home town in 1899 when he took over the licence of the railway refreshment rooms at Carstairs Junction. He was elected to the Lanark Town Council but resigned his seat in 1905 to avoid conflict with his business interests.
The Council approved plans for the “loch recreation scheme” late in 1903, stipulating that facilities must close by 10pm during summer and 8pm at other times; no liquor would be sold and there would be no Sunday opening. Although the benefits to locals were recognised, the principal intention was to better serve the substantial number of tourists who already visited the scenic delights of the Clyde Valley and enjoyed the spectacular scenery of steep glens and waterfalls. This landscape was sometimes compared to the grandeur of Switzerland, which might explain why the buildings of the new visitor attraction were designed to resemble a Swiss cottage. Similarly, the sudden re-christening of Lanark Loch as Lanark Lake might have been intended to impart an air of continental glamour?
The new Lake Pavilion opened in time for Easter 1904, The Swiss-cottage style building, built into the slope up to the Hyndford Road, featured a raised terrace with a buffet and offices on the upper floor, and a kitchen, store-rooms, toilets and a shooting range (!) on the lower level. Of course, this building, in an extended form, continues to provide refreshment and pleasure as the Inn on the Loch. Two large marquees were set up for dancing and games close to quoiting pitches, archery ranges and other entertainments. On the loch there were twenty or so row boats for hire and a substantial steam launch offering leisurely cruises around the island and the distant bay of the lake. It’s unclear precisely how this grand project was funded, however the year after it’s opening, the buildings of the Lake Pavilion were sold by Lanark Council to A.P. Paul.
The Lake Pavilion and its leisure facilities were an immediate success and were soon a popular stop on the established excursions by horse-drawn brake from the railway station to Corra Linn, Bonnington Falls, Cartland Craigs, or other local beauty spots. The Lake also became a destination in its own right, welcoming groups who spent the whole day by the loch-side, continually entertained by concerts, music, and amusements. The firm of Paterson & Boyd, (who described themselves as “purveyors for picnic and excursion parties”), seem to have supported the marketing and organisation of group excursions. They made some bold claims in their advertisements, regularly billing the Lake Pavilion as “the most popular picnic resort in Scotland” and in one instance “the finest place in the world for a picnic”. Lanark loch was also described as “one of the finest freshwater lochs in Scotland”…….! Regardless of the merit of these claims, the pavilion became a very popular destination for group outings from workplaces, bible classes, friendly societies, football clubs, and many other kinds of organisation. At busy periods the Caledonian Railway would run special trains, with over a thousand tourists arriving at the station each day, The Lake Pavilion even had a motor car at its disposal to convey visitors between the station and the loch, which itself must have been a significant novelty at that time.
The steam launch (sometimes described as a steam yacht) was the star attraction on the loch, but didn’t always coexist comfortably with a large fleet of erratically piloted row-boats. In 1906 two ladies (members of staff at Larkhall Academy) were tipped into the water by a wave from the passing steamboat, A light-hearted report in the local paper joked that this was due to the bad handling of the rowing boats, however this suggestion prompted a furious response from the Rector of the Academy defending the seamanship of his staff and blaming the management of the steamboat. We’ve found no reference to the steam launch on the loch after 1908, so perhaps safety considerations influenced its removal to somewhere with less crowded waters.
A.P. Paul also decided to move on in 1908 in order to explore new opportunities as proprietor of the Argyll Hotel in Lochgilphead. Paul remained the owner of the Lake Pavilion, but left the day-to-day management to Messrs Paterson & Boyd, who continued to add to the attractions of the “grand holiday resort”.
Many fine things were said at the farewell dinner held in honour of A.P. Paul; “Lanark has a good reason to be proud of a son possessed of the enterprise which has made its loch one of the most popular resorts of its kind in Scotland”. It had previously been noted that “to Lanarkians, the pavilion was a source of manifest pride” and observed that while the loch was public property, one man’s enterprise had achieved much more than would have been possible under municipal management.
A.P. Paul’s departure marked the end of the opening chapter in the long and continuing history of pleasure and recreation at Lanark Loch.
Robin Chesters, 20th February 2025
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