Against the Stream

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This book examines the economic development of the southernmost quarter of the parish of Kilfinan - Kerry of Kilfinan - in the Cowal peninsula of Argyll, Scotland, during the period 1790-1870, which has become known in the United Kingdom as the Industrial Revolution. The examination begins by looking at the significant changes in agriculture and land use as subsistence farming was pushed out by sheep, with residents turning to herring fishing to compensate for their loss. The opening of a gunpowder factory in the parish stemmed the tide of departures by providing paid work for the existing population and attracting the inward migration of skilled workers from elsewhere. It also led to investment in infrastructure, with the construction of new roads and piers. The book also looks at the development of tourism to the parish with its proximity to the Central Belt and the advent of cheap and plentiful steamers bringing members of the urban middle class, where many eventually decided to build the Victorian villas that exist along the shore, creating new opportunities for the people of Kerry of Kilfinan.