HMS Tullichewan

HMS Tullichewan was a holding base for Combined Operations personnel, based at Tullichewan Castle Camp, Balloch, Loch Lomond, Scotland. Commissioned March 10, 1945 and paid off June 10, 1946.

Prior to its use by Combined Operations, the camp was known as HMS Spartiate II from 1942 to 1944, and was used as a training base for WRNS.

An interesting observation has arisen from reading a number of wartime reminiscences, it seems that many WRENs from Tullichewan appear to have gone to Bletchley Park, the wartime decoding centre known as Station X.

Tullichewan Castle

Designed by architect Robert Lugar in 1792, the castle is said to be the first asymmetrical Gothic house to have been built in Scotland. First occupied by the Horrocks family from 1817 until 1843, it was then sold to William Campbell (Glasgow merchants J & W Campbell). The last owner was J Scott Anderson who acquired the house around 1930, living there until it was requisitioned for use by the WRNS during World War II, after which it was used as accommodation for workers at the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory in Alexandria. It then lay abandoned until it was finally demolished in 1954.^[1]

Although modern development has consumed most of the former estate, and little remains, a number of remnants are reported to have survived. The A82 dual carriageway and the A811 road were built through the grounds, with a housing development and parts of the Vale of Leven Hospital also having been built there. The former stables and a piece of the original tower can still be seen from the A82. The north lodge, or gatehouse, has been lost in the area of Tullichewan Caravan Park, where the estate also had a walled orchard. The south lodge can still be found on Main Street, Alexandria, north of the entrance to Christie Park.

References

1 ⇑ Tullichewan Castle, Sheildaig Farm.

External links

Aerial views

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Map

• Tullichewan Castle
• Tullichewan Castle, North Lodge
• Tullichewan Castle, Stable Cottage
• Tullichewan Castle, South Lodge

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