Property News · June 16, 2017

Let’s move to Helensburgh, Argyll & Bute: ‘The air seems to sparkle’


I’m surprised more artists haven’t settled here, but a quick eye on local history shows they were beaten to it by Johnny PoshWhat’s going for it? There’s no escaping the waters in Helensburgh. They’re in front of you (the Clyde), to the side (Gare Loch) and behind (Loch Lomond). So much liquid does something funny to the light – the air seems to sparkle, while the brooding landscape of smoky, blue-green hills bleeds into the sea like watercolour flicked from a brush. I’m surprised more artists haven’t settled here, but local history shows they were beaten to it by Johnny Posh. Helensburgh was only magicked into existence in the late 18th century when Sir James Colquhoun bought the land and willed a town to appear, named after his wife, Lady Helen (of the notorious Sutherlands). Glasgow’s 1% moved in soon after, escaping the noxious fumes of the city. You still have to pay through the nose for its sparkling air; Helensburgh remains one of Scotland’s wealthiest towns, although it’s far too genteel to say so. If it were a few hundred miles south, it’d be all air kisses and poodle parlours, but that’s the sign of real wealth – discretion.The case against Not cheap. And not for those who hanker after hullabaloo: it’s all cherry blossom and villas round here. You don’t mind having a large number of nuclear weapons on your doorstep, do you? Faslane submarine base makes this either the safest, or most dangerous, spot in the country. Continue reading…

Source : theguardian.com
Read more…Let’s move to Helensburgh, Argyll & Bute: ‘The air seems to sparkle’

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