Art Treasures of Kinloch Castle: WORLD TOUR 1892-1895 (Article 2 of 28) Departure aboard P & O steamer Oceana / Arrival Gibraltar

GEORGE BULLOUGH WORLD TOUR 1892-1895

(Article 2 of 28)
Departure aboard P & O steamer Oceana / Arrival Gibraltar

Written and illustrated from first-hand research by George W. Randall.

Copyright September 2013 © George W. Randall Archive

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George Bullough, 1870 – 1939, (later Sir George, Baronet), was three days short of his twenty-first birthday when his father died on the 25^thof February 1891 at the age of fifty-two. Nineteen months later in September 1892 twenty-two year old George embarked on a thirty-five month long world tour with his friend Robert Mitchell, returning to Britain in August 1895. There soon followed what was termed a “six-month supplementary cruise”, finally arriving back at The Rhyddings, Bullough’s home in Accrington, Lancashire, England, in April 1896.

A twenty volume photographic record of their travels is located in the library at Kinloch Castle, Isle of Rum, Scotland, Bullough's Highland hunting lodge built 1897-1900. Regrettably each picture has only the briefest title, sometimes no title and no date. Fortunately Mr. Bullough agreed to have published a series of reports of their travels in the local newspaper, The Accrington Division Gazette, the town of Accrington also being the location of the family business and source of his wealth, Howard and Bullough, Ltd., Globe Works, manufacturers of a complete range of cotton spinning machinery to the world’s cotton industry.

I am indebted to Accrington Library who supplied me with photo-copies of the twenty-eight articles titled: “Mr. Bullough's Three Years’ Tour” published in The Gazette between 2 May and 12 December 1896 and the late journalist and broadcaster, Magnus Magnusson, K.B.E., at the time Chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage, (the agency responsible for the island of Rum and Kinloch Castle), who gave me permission (1996) to archive and photographically record the contents of Kinloch Castle including the 700 plus half-plate images of George Bullough’s World Tour.

The twenty albums contain some 600+ photographs, those from Japan are in colour.

At the end of each article will be found numbered explanatory Notes relating to the published

text compiled by the author in the hope of helping today's reader better understand this late 19^th century world in the context of the period plus some subject historical background

and hopefully inspiration to undertake further research.