Pitlochry's Atholl Palace

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Pitlochry's Atholl Palace

THE SKYLINE of Pitlochry has been dominated by the Atholl Palace Hotel since it was built in 1873. Its iconic bulk stands four-square beneath Ben-y-Vrackie, the exterior virtually unchanged. I recently visited a new museum in the hotel which tells the story not only of the building but of the town’s rapid growth in the latter half of the 19th century.

Queen Victoria visited Scotland in 1844 with her doctor, Sir James Clark, who said of Pitlochry ‘A healthy place - perhaps the healthiest in the kingdom’. After the arrival of the railway in 1863 increasing numbers of visitors made the journey northwards in search of the then fashionable hydropathic cures, and Pitlochry became a popular ‘watering place’.

In 1873 The Athole Hydropathic Company was incorporated, and £40,000 raised for a building project. Perth architect Andrew Heiton Junior was chosen and building began on the Hydropathic the following year. 100 men were employed daily on the site, with hoists carrying the stone to the upper floors. Miraculously no-one was killed or injured. The final cost was £100,000 and the magnificent, palatial building (below), which could house 200 guests, was finally opened on 7 June, 1878

The fashion for water cures and healthy living had begun in Austria. It was popularised in Britain by James Wilson and James Manby Gully who arrived in Malvern, overlooking the Severn Valley, in 1842, transforming it into the ’Metropolis of the Water Cure’. In accordance with their ideas the Athole Hydropathic did not permit alcohol, food was simple and healthy and gentle exercise was encouraged.

Water was to be used both internally and externally in huge quantities, and Turkish baths were built in the east and west wings. A ’douche’, icy water administered from many feet above, sounds particularly unpleasant! With over-indulgence common in the wealthy of the time, much of the advice seems quite sensible. By the 1880s the company was struggling, and the building was purchased in 1886 by William Macdonald from Perth for £25,000. The name was changed to the Atholl Hydropathic Hotel, and rigid rules were relaxed. The grounds were beautifully landscaped and sporting activities developed. The Highland Lawn Tennis Championship was established there in 1896.

Evacuated Schools

In 1915 girls from Queen Margaret’s School in Scarborough, moved up after they were bombed and stayed in the hotel for the rest of the war. After the war developments to the building and its fine grounds were carried out by Sir Henry Lunn of the Alpine Sports Club, and his brother. Electricity was installed and the hotel given the name still in use today. Garages were built for the many tourists who came by car instead of using the train.

Boys from the Leys School in Cambridge were evacuated to the Atholl Palace for the duration of World War II.

Museum & Interpretation

A 20-minute film and an exhibition are full of fascinating information. Work is in progress to finish furnishing rooms and collecting more artefacts. Recordings describe the life of guests and of servants including ‘Boots’, the odd job man, the dairymaid and those working in the laundry and sewing room.

In 1878 Dr William Roy was appointed as resident physician and dentist, and a medical room features in the exhibition. In 2002 a major restoration of the gardens was undertaken; the hotel’s kitchens are once again supplied with fresh herbs and vegetables from the grounds.

Visitors to the area, and locals, will find much of interest in the museum. At present only open on Saturday afternoons, this will increase in the summer and I shall certainly look forward to making return visits.

If you have information about individuals who were connected with the building in the past, do be in touch with Anna Ford on 01796 472502 or e-mail: history@ atholl palace.com