Port Ellen
| |
|---|---|
 Port Ellen | |
  Port Ellen Location withinArgyll and Bute | |
| Population | 810 (2022)[1] |
| OS grid reference | NR365455 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ISLE OF ISLAY |
| Postcode district | PA42 |
| Dialling code | 01496 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
| 55°38′N6°11′W / 55.63°N 6.18°W /55.63; -6.18 | |
Port Ellen (Scottish Gaelic:Port Ìlein) is a smalltown on the island ofIslay, inArgyll,Scotland. The town is named after the wife of its founder,Walter Frederick Campbell.[2] Its previous name,Leòdamas, is derived fromOld Norse meaning "Leòd's Harbour".
Port Ellen is built around Leodamais Bay, Islay's main deep water harbour. It is the largest town on Islay, only slightly larger thanBowmore and provides the mainferry connection between Islay and the mainland, atKennacraig. ThePort Ellen Distillery was first established in the 1820s and ceased production ofScotch whisky in 1983, until reopening in 2024. The largemalting continues to produce for the majority of thedistilleries on Islay.[3][4]
The area around Port Ellen has a variety of archaeological sites covering the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age periods. There are standing stones at Kilbride, a fort at Borraichill Mor, severalchambered cairns, and a chapel at Cill Tobar Lasrach.[3] Nearby lie the ruined remains of the 14th-centuryDunyvaig Castle, once a fortress of theMacDonald Lords of the Isles.[5]
The current town was planned byWalter Frederick Campbell and founded in 1821 originally intended to support the herring industry.[6] It was originally called Port Ellinor in honour of his wife, Lady Eleanor Charteris (d. 1832), daughter ofFrancis Douglas, 8th Earl of Wemyss.
| Preceding station | Ferry | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Caledonian MacBrayne Islay Ferry | Kennacraig | ||
| Terminus | Kintyre Express April to October | Ballycastle |
George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, Labour politician and former Secretary General ofNATO was born in Port Ellen[7] on 12 April 1946.
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