“It was built in 1897”
The statement is incomplete rather than wholly wrong. Surviving applications document the scheme from 1895, while 1897 is associated with a major increase in wall height and visible construction. “Planned from 1895, with major work from 1897” is the safest short description.
“It is a copy of the Colosseum”
The arena-like circular plan invites the comparison, but the building is not a literal copy. Its pointed arches and battlemented details are Gothic in character.
“It was only a job-creation project”
Providing employment for masons and artisans was documented. The plans also involved civic ornament, public access and a family memorial. No single motive tells the complete story.
“Construction stopped only when McCaig died”
The National Record of the Historic Environment describes the surviving work as unfinished by about 1900. McCaig died in 1902. His death and later court proceedings prevented the wider programme from continuing, but the chronology is more complicated than a single sudden stop.
“It had a documented wartime role”
Oban had major strategic importance during the World Wars. The reliable designation, heritage and academic sources reviewed for this guide do not establish that McCaig’s Tower itself served as a formal observation post, gun position or headquarters. That does not prove no informal use occurred; it means a specific role should not be repeated without an archival reference.
See the full myths and uncertainties guide.
Sources and references
- Historic Environment Scotland: Battery Hill, McCaig Monument (LB38814)Official designation record
- Trove / National Record of the Historic Environment: Oban, McCaig’s TowerNational heritage record
- Johnny Rodger, ‘McCaig’s Tower and a Scottish Monumental Tradition’Peer-reviewed academic article
- Oban War & Peace MuseumAccredited local museum