End of an era

Today we went to the funeral of Sir Ilay Campbell of Succoth, Bart., to give him his full title. Sir Ilay (pronounced Ila) was the former owner of Crarae Garden which I was privileged to look after for two years when it was first given to the National Trust for Scotland in 2002. Stupidly I forgot to take my camera, so this image is courtesy of Mrs M's phone.

I first met Sir Ilay in 1974 or 5 when I wrote to him out of the blue to ask if he by chance had a job for me at Crarae Garden. I was working at Holyrood Palace Gardens in Edinburgh at the time, but wanted to get a foothold in the west. He and Lady Campbell kindly took us round the garden and he then offered me a job, but unfortunately the estate factor wrote shortly afterwards to say that there were actually no vacancies. So that was that!

Sir Ilay later chaired the Arduaine Garden Local Advisory Committee and between that and my two years at Crarae I got to know him fairly well. He was a kindly, humorous man with a comprehensive knowledge of plants and more than once invited me in for lunch at Crarae Lodge - in the kitchen of course!

The ceremony took place at the nearby Cumlodden Parish Church and Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll, gave the first reading. Thanks to Sir Ilay's generosity the local graveyard is beside the Visitor Centre at Crarae Garden, so he was buried within yards of the garden he loved and which he carried on after the death of his father, Sir George.

Lady Rohais Campbell, old and frail and in a wheelchair, came to the church but not to the interment or the eats afterwards.  A sad day, and a cold one, with strong winds and driving sleet showers; a poignant moment as the coffin was lowered into the grave and the piper played a lament against the background of a dark sky.

"He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."