A rough-edged polished granite shaft rising from a rubble plinth places the names of the dead beside Whiting Bay’s principal church.
Quick facts
- Date
- Circa 1920
- Architect / designer
- Designer and stone worker not recorded
- Type
- Granite war memorial with inscribed shaft
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB6788)
- OS grid reference
- NS 04725 27271
Architecture and continuing use
The memorial is compact and materially emphatic: a rubble plinth supports a bull-faced base and polished inscribed shaft whose outer edges remain irregular. A carved gun-and-wreath motif introduces pictorial symbolism without turning the monument into a large sculptural group.
Its story
The monument was erected around 1920 in the aftermath of the First World War. HES notes that its gun-and-wreath motif resembles the war memorial at Bennecarrigan elsewhere on Arran. It entered the statutory list in 1995 as a separate structure within the setting of Stewart Memorial Church.
Why it is included
It brings remembrance and the social effects of twentieth-century conflict into the architectural map while retaining a clear relationship to the active church.
What to notice
- The contrast between polished inscription panel and rough edges.
- The gun-and-wreath emblem.
- The memorial’s deliberate placement beside the church.
Reading the surroundings
Approach quietly and respectfully using permitted paths. Do not touch inscriptions, leave objects without local guidance or disrupt commemorative events and worship.
Timeline
- 1914–1918 The First World War created the loss commemorated by the original monument.
- Circa 1920 The granite shaft was erected beside the church.
- 1995 The memorial received its own Category C listing.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The designation gives an approximate date but no designer, mason, unveiling record or complete account of later inscriptions.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Whiting Bay War Memorial, LB6788 — Current designation status, statutory identity, official mapped point, date, fabric and significance.
- Isle of Arran Parish: Whiting Bay — Current congregation evidence for worship and community activity at the Whiting Bay centre.
- Trove: Whiting Bay War Memorial — National collection entry for the designation identity, mapped location, related records and available archive material.
- SCAPE Trust: Coastal Zone Assessment Survey, Kintyre and Arran — Building-specific survey evidence for late twentieth-century condition and reported use; it is historical evidence rather than proof of present occupation.
Location
OS grid reference NS 04725 27271 · Location confidence: High for the current HES designation point; public text separately qualifies component extent, terrain and access. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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