For Argyll

The almost French-looking mid 19th century Clock Tower on the shore of Loch Fyne, owned and left derelict by Argyll and Bute Council since 1975, is to be offered for sale n the open market. Celebrations may be premature. Historic Scotland says: ‘There are many criteria that have to be met to be eligible for grant support from Historic Scotland’. In relation to their earlier rejection of the Council’s proposal to transform the building into the County Archive, the spokesman said: ‘After careful consideration, we felt that the project put forward for the Clock Tower did not meet these (criteria) and would be over-reliant on public funds to reach completion.’ Given that the private funds of Lex Brown in his careful plans to attempt to restore Castle Tioram as an inhabited castle did not persuade Historic Scotland to grant him permission, the Clock Tower’s future cannot be assumed to be on the way to security.