Kilmun Tea Caddies

Viewed from Sandbank

The Kilmun tea caddies or Napier's pepperpots (as they are also known locally) refers to a set of six cottages which lie on the northern shore of the Holy Loch. The houses earned their nicknames as a result of the plain and uniform appearance which they presented upon completion c. 1828. Originally 3-bay, 3-storey, rectangular-plan houses with steep terraced gardens towards the shore, and a narrow lane for access to the rear, with boundary walls of rubble.

All have been variously modified and modernised over the years, and no longer retain their original appearance. The houses are:

Anchorage
Ardmun
Fountain
Heathbank
Lochview
Woodburn

The houses lie in the western part of the village of Kilmun, opposite Sandbank, and are just over four miles to the north of Dunoon (across the loch), and to the west of Strone Point.

They were built for David Napier (1790-1869) a successful marine engineer of the time, who purchased a stretch of land along the loch side from General Campbell of Monzie in 1828. He was responsible for the building of a hotel, Kilmun Pier, and a number of villas, which included the six described here. In 1829, Napier is noted to have advertised the attractions of Kilmun, Including "Substantial quay-side houses to let", suggesting they were originally built for the purpose of being let, however Napier appears to have lost his enthusiasm for the area, and is reported to have sold off most of his Scottish interests c. 1837.^[1]

The houses are also locally described as being 66% copies of the larger villa immediately to their west, having been built by Napier for his staff. The ceiling height is reported to particularly low, only about 6-feet or so, with the rooms also being relatively small. In addition to the pier, Napier is said to have instituted a ferry service to Inveraray which utilised horse drawn coaches, and a steam ferry on Loch Eck. Robert Napier was a successful marine engineer of the 19th century.