A beloved former Holy Loch watering hole of American forces and their families stationed in and around Dunoon has recently been acquired by the local community following two years of closure. The new owners, the Oakbank Community Inn Sandbank (OCIS), are now looking to hear from ex US Navy personnel about their memories of the pub that sits just yards from the loch shoreline.
An ongoing share scheme, combined with a significant grant from the Scottish Land Fund, has recently seen the 150-year-old inn transferred into community ownership with OCIS planning to open it up to the public by early summer following urgently needed renovations.
Long lasting friendships
Sue McKillop of OCIS commented: “We know this pub was very popular with US servicemen and women for over 30 years and have heard many happy memories being recounted by local people about how the inn helped to build long lasting friendships between local residents and the US military. We are always on the look out for more recollections of this significant time for the town and surrounding settlements. There are bound to still be more folks who can recall good times spent at the inn and it will all go towards us building up a history of the pub from 1960 to 1990 which we will share as part of a pub heritage programme. We would also welcome any US veterans interested in becoming shareholders for what promises to be a fantastic new chapter for a pub that is now owned by the community of Sandbank. We have a rich shared history with our American friends and we want this fine inn, sitting at the gateway to the southern Scottish Highlands, to build on that.”
For more information please visit www.oakbank.pub or email Sue direct [email protected].