Regarding your report about Morland, a mansion house in Skelmorlie, part of which is up for sale, and inferring that it was built by Lord Kelvin, this may not be accurate.

Before receiving his peerage, Lord Kelvin"s title was Professor Sir William Thomson. His brother James was also a professor and it is understood that he lived in Skelmorlie. He was a colleague and friend of Dr James Young who owned the Wemyss Bay estate of Kelly and together they successfully set up an experiment to measure the speed of light from Inellan to Kelly.

The old Skelmorlie school, recently demolished, was opened by a Professor Thomson in 1866 and in a local history written by the late W. Smart he comments that if, as seems likely, the Professor Thomson referred to was the one who eventually became Lord Kelvin, it seems surprising that his stay in the village has not been more widely acclaimed..

If, as the "News" reports Lord Kelvin built Morland, the Registers of Scotland have no record of this. In a reply to a query they state that they managed to trace records of the house back to a title over subjects granted in 1861 and presume that Hugh Montgomerie, Earl of Eglinton of Skelmorlie whose title appears to be from 31 March 1861, was the first owner of the mansion.

From articles appearing in the local press, Lord Kelvin"s long association with Largs goes back to his childhood days when he came on holiday and he had a life-time affection for the town and that may suggest that he had a preference to have his home in Largs. He lived at Auchenames at the foot of Nelson Street before building Netherhall.

Perhaps there has been some confusion with the Thomson brothers, James and William, both doctors. Probably one lived in Morland, most likely James, and it was he who opened the school. And William always lived in Largs and built Netherhall. Perhaps a local historian will come up with the answer.

Jim Carnduff Skelmorlie