Pierless Tiree
Transcription of a chapter ‘Pierless Tiree’ from ‘Literary Tours in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland’ by D. T. Holmes.
The Reading Room in Scarinish was built in the 1880s as a waiting room for ferry passengers. In the days before Gott Bay pier was built, the steamer anchored off Scarinish harbour and a tender was rowed out to meet her.
Around 1900 the Paisley thread magnate, James Coats, donated collections of books to many communities in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The Reading Room was chosen to house this lending library.
D.T. Holmes was employed to travel around Scotland giving lectures and encouraging use of the libraries. In this account he paints a vivid picture of what it was like to travel to Tiree on a stormy day before Gott Bay pier was completed in 1913.