Oakcraig

Research:

• In February 1853, Montgomerie, Earl of Eglinton sold the plot of land to Henry Watson. Source¹. 
• Henry Watson sells land to Dr Ronald Currie, 12^th December 1866. Source²
• Oakcraig Villa is designed and built by architect John Honeyman for Dr Currie in 1873 at a cost of £4,090. Source: Dictionary of Scottish Architects design report. www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/House
• Dr Currie, C. M. Glasg., J.P., proceeds to live at Oakcraig until his death in June 1923. During that time, he was responsible for building the Skelmorlie Hydropathic Establishment in 1868 and thereafter running it for almost 40 years.  He was a member of the great professor Joseph Lister’s first surgical class in Glasgow in 1860 and was interested in the scientific hydropathic treatment of disease. He came from a well-known Arran family and took a keen interest in the study of place names. Immediately before his last illness he was engaged on the revision of his book on ” The Place Names of Arran.” Sources: Skelmorlie, Walter Smart 1968 & http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org 
• Dr Currie’s, 3^rd daughter, Miss Ethel Currie married John E. Wright, 5^th son of Dr and Mrs George Wight of New Malden on 12^th September 1912.  They lived with Ethel’s father in Oak Craig where they had two children Morna born 4^th April 1914 and Ronald Derek Gordon Wight born 8^th December 1915. On 20^th March 1916, John was commissioned as a 2/Lt in the Special Reserve of the Royal Flying Corps in the engineering branch.  He served with No’s 14 and 6 Squadrons at home, in France and in Italy. On being demobilised in June 1919, he went back to the family home at Skelmorlie. After Ethel’s father had died (June 1923) and their affairs at Skelmorlie were completed they moved south. Source: rogersstudy.co.uk/ medals/wight_je
• In April 1924, the Trustees of the late Ronald Currie sell Oakcraig to Donald MacMillan. Source²
• Following the death of Donald MacMillan, Oakcraig is transferred to Helen MacMillan in August 1941, who lives there a further 10 years before her death in January 1951. Source^2. below & Probate Services.
• Sale of Oakcraig to George & David Woolley for £3,375, 7^th September 1951. Source²
• In August 1973, George Wooley transfered the lower flat incorporating the rear extension to his sister-in-law, Mary Paton Woolley, following the death of his brother, David. This is formalising a split of the property that had already occurred.  George Wooley retains the upper flat. Source³
• 

  Oakcraig land sold to build Pencarrow

  Mary Woolley (residing at Oakcraig), Nanette Coats Woolley (Helensburgh) and George Edward Woolley of Canada sell 753 square yards of ground (believed to be previously used as a tennis lawn/court) to the north of the property for £9250 in July 1982. This land was subsequently used to build Pencarrow (modern Villa). Source².

• In March 2007, Ossian Construction received planning permission to knock down 11A & 11B Shore Road, a modern two-story dwelling built between Oakcraig and the Heywood, and replace it with 10 flats known as Argyll View. From the numbering, it could be assumed that the land for 11A and 11B was previously part of Oakcraig, but the deeds do not reflect this. It is possible this was previously the site of one of the quarries (c.f. Walter Smart, Skelmorlie) or ground belonging to the Heywood.  Source: Mrs N Dunsmore

Source ¹: Disposition by Montgomerie, Earl of Eglinton & Winton in favour of George Woolley of superiority of subjects of Oakcraig, dated 1971.

Source ²: Disposition by Miss H. M. MacMillan (Trus.) in favour of George & David Coats Woolley, 1951 of subjects “Oakcraig”

Source³: Disposition by George Woolley to Mary Paton Woolley, dated August 16, 1973.