After 1828
The crofter's cottage
Not long after the completion of Sannox Church in 1828, it is thought the cottage (or at least one part of it) may have been built by a crofter and local boat builder by the name of John McKillop. He was great-uncle to Alasdair McKillop, who gifted our mother the old black and white photos of Woodside when it was thatched, and who later came here to celebrate his 100th birthday in 2004! You will pass the church on the way up the drive to Woodside.
Early last century
The butler's cottage & Mr. Coats
In the very early part of the last century the cottage served as a home for the butler (and his family) who served in Sannox House, the large property on the hill behind, which a Mr. Coats (of Paisley thread-making fame) leased from the Estate along with this cottage. You may discern many echoing features in their construction. To this day, some folk can just recall Woodside being renamed "The Butler's Cottage" during this time.
Mr. Coats was extremely rich and owned perhaps the very first private steam pleasure yacht on the Clyde. He was not only a very enterprising businessman but also responsible for the earliest scientific expeditions to the Antarctic, sponsoring the steamship Scotia. We believe he was responsible for the stone steps leading up from the beach at the bottom of the garden, constructed so that his well-to-do retinue could be suitably welcomed ashore (taking some fortifying beverage at the cottage, no doubt!) before making their way across the fields and up to Sannox House itself.
Early last century
The thatched cottage
At this time Woodside was thatched and sat in an open field, backed by the then mighty Sannox Wood, which consisted of cultivated oaks and Scots pine interspersed with glades of self-seeded hazel, alder and birch, and was teeming with wildlife. The still significant remnants of this woodland provide the backdrop for the cottage today.
Before 1956
The estate gamekeeper
Prior to 1956 the cottage was home to the estate gamekeeper Mr. Fraser, whose love of the countryside resulted in some notable contributions to local natural history records.
1957
The Graham family arrives
Woodside was purchased from the Duchess of Hamilton by our late grandfather, Air Vice Marshal Ronald Graham. Upon taking residence here, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant for the County of Bute (of which Arran was a part at that time) by the Queen, a position he held until his death in 1967.
His gravestone is situated in the nearby Sannox Graveyard: a huge engraved granite boulder facing the sea rather than the hills. A trend-setter even in these matters!
Since 1957
Ronald & Nancy — the garden makers
It was Ronald and his devoted wife Nancy (known to us as "Grancy") who were responsible for laying out the informal gardens that survive to this day. You will find many items in the cottage from their time spent stationed abroad during his long and distinguished military career. Add to these those gifted to us by our own parents, who also travelled widely, and the result is a unique and fascinating home in which to reside.
Our parents
Jane Williams & the church window
Please do visit Sannox Christian Centre. There you'll find a window commissioned by our late mother Jane (Graham) Williams in memory of our father John Heathcote Williams, whose own father had been a Congregational Minister.
In your conversations with local people, you will discover just how warmly they were both regarded. Our mother in particular would have been delighted to know you are experiencing this special cottage and its garden.
There remains in the cottage the note she used to stick on the front door (always left ajar in those days) for any curious passers-by if she was not available.
Video courtesy of Sannox Christian Centre
"Do please have a look round. I'm only resting!"
— The note our mother used to leave on the front door
Ancient history
The very first human visitors to these parts would probably have been Stone Age hunter-gatherers foraging the coastline and woods. Perhaps they sheltered in the small sea caves just round the corner from Woodside, at the base of what old fishermen called the "Blue Rock", a discoloured cliff recognisable out to sea.
There is little doubt, however, that the first true settlers in this area were Bronze Age people some 4,000 or so years ago. The magnificent collection of Neolithic monumental standing stones and remnants of domestic hut circles at Machrie, on the west of the island, is a testament to that, and could provide one of your "holiday musts" for a visit.
But for a more local glimpse of this ancient past, walk back down the drive a few hundred yards and there, nestled against the back of the building immediately right of the church, is a tall, silent, ten-foot tilted sandstone monolith that speaks volumes about the mysteries of long ago. There is also another (possibly a companion stone?) just 150 yards inland, standing in the field just below Sannox House.
Whilst their exact purpose remains a mystery, it is quite likely they provided these early peoples with a special blend of spiritual and practical significance: emotions which any visitor to Woodside Cottage is afforded today.
