Ruth Wishart: The Linn is a national treasure we can't afford to lose

One day, as is the way of old houses, one leapt out and ambushed us when we very definitely weren’t looking.

Amongst the pleasures of living permanently in rural Argyll was the plethora of seriously fine gardens to be visited. And, fortuitously, one of the most spectacular and original was just along the road. Now, yet again, the Linn Botanical Garden is back on the market, dominated by the William Motherwell designed villa sitting atop its wonderful, rambling one-kilometre walkways.

Instantly captivated, we visited regularly, and set up the original Friends of the Linn, the emblem for which was designed by my late husband.

READ MORE: Linn House and botanic gardens in Cove go on the market

Since then many volunteers have leant their time and talents to what is, without any doubt, one of the jewels in Scotland’s horticultural crown. It contains a vast range of rare plants brought back from all over the world by the botanist father and son whose pride and joy the garden became.

It offers too, so many different visual treats from the Destiny Bridge constructed by Dr Jim Taggart, the original founder, to many original features including the pond at the Japanese style garden, and rectangular water lily feature. And so much more; a small forest, a rockery, a terrace garden and plant collections often curated by Jim’s son Jamie, whose tragic death on a botanical expedition in the Far East, precipitated the recent sales.

The current vendor, Helen Foulkes, held out high hopes for both the garden maintenance and the refurbishment of the villa which, whilst still retaining evidence of its glorious past, is in need of serious investment, not least in terms of a roof which offers some unsolicited water features of its own.

READ MORE: Opinion: Helensburgh is turning its back on one of its greatest assets

She was a real enthusiast with an army husband in the Royal Engineers and four grown up children who were all “volunteered” for elements of her plan. However, she has retired defeated after a series of setbacks including people who felt moved to tell the council of her attempts to have a tree surgeon remove those whose roots might damage the house, or whose trunks might fall victim to storms.

Sometimes you fervently wish people would either mind their own business or take the trouble to engage the brain before contacting the authorities when overwhelmed by the urge to interfere.

There were too problems with break-ins when the house appeared on one of those sites where weirdos learn of properties they may enter illegally and photograph their presence. As they say in Yorkshire, there’s nowt as queer as fowk.

Add in a family illness and the now regular occurrence on our patch of gardens being used as public loos, and it’s not difficult to discern why the project became just too complex to handle. And of course Covid blew a great big hole in the business planning. A great pity, given Helen’s intention to involve the community, not least in using the extensive glasshouses for their individual plant nurturing schemes.

READ MORE: Letters to the Advertiser: October 22, 2020

Yet the property, and most especially the lovingly designed garden with it’s rich botanical heritage, remains too precious to be allowed to fall into further neglect.

It has currently been taken off the market again to let the agents examine various expressions of interest. It’s important that they screen out anyone who has notions of scooping up a vanity project at very affordable prices, since this is a gem which needs a massive amount of tender, loving care from people who will love it as much as the Taggarts did.

For the Linn Garden is not just a local asset, it’s a national one.

Unfortunately it returns to a marketplace where funding from all the usual horticultural suspects is in particularly short supply. But it deserves to be rescued and restored so that more generations can enjoy it, and Scotland doesn’t lose another treasure trove.

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