SANNOX HISTORY
Sand-vik – the sandy bay – was the name The Vikings gave to this tranquil corner of Arran, with its gently curved bay and majestic backdrop of mountains. In North Glen Sannox it is possible to stand within sight of an Iron Age Fort, the tumbled remains of the village, deserted since 1829 , whose occupants emmigrated to Canada, and the 1800’s farmhouse, now a trekking centre run by the McKinnon family, a name long associated with Arran. So much history, so many ghosts.
Sannox received a boost in 1840 with the opening of a Barytes mine in South Glen Sannox. It wa closed by the 11th Duke of Hamilton in 1862 on the grounds that “it spoilt the solemn grandeur of the scene”. It probably did, but the loss of employment must have been severe. It was re-opened after the Great War and a wooden pier and light railway were built to ease shipment from mine to shore. The vein petered out in 1938 and the pier and railway were demolished in the late 1940’s. The ruins of the outbuildings can still be seen in the Glen.
Corrie and Sannox have always shared the burial ground at the entrance to South Glen Sannox. In the corner of the oldest part of the cemetery can be seen the remains of St. Michael’s chapel, which was affiliated, in the 14th Century, to the monastery at Kilwinning.
The lovely little church at Sannox was built in 1822. When the time came for the exiles from Arran to build a church in their new country, Canada, they built in a similar style to the one they had left behind
Sannox, like all Arran villages, has it own special charm. It also boasts a hotel and bar, a nine hole golf course with spectacular views and easy access to Arran’s fine hill and coastal walks.
Jean Glen
NB: Information for this brief history of Sannox was obtained from the very comprehensive “History of the Villages of the Isle of Arran” by the S.W.R.I. Arran Federation. The latest revised edition is readily available at a number of local outlets and is an enjoyable and informative read.