"Big Tree Country" - Part 9

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The Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry – Part A

Today (Sunday), I revisited the lovely town of Pitlochry, Perthshire, to get a couple of much-wanted plants by GOYers from the plant sales at the Explorers Garden (see previous blog in this series). With a few hours to spare, I was delighted to be able to make a first visit to the above hotel which, in my experience, is unique. It’s grounds and gardens are a public open garden (free entry at all times). and it has its own museum (entry fee for this) detailing the history of the hotel, the gardens, and its “remarkable” specimen trees.

Signboard at the entrance to the drive

The “Highland Castle” description is very misleading – an advertising “gimmick”, for sure! – as the hotel was built in 1874 for this purpose, and has always been so, except for the duration of the two World Wars, when there were no guests anyway, and it was “conscripted” for other uses, including a boarding school.

The Gate Lodge

The tarmaced drive follows the same route as the orginal carriage drive, past an “arboretum” containing some fine “specimen” trees, which were popular, and novelties, in the Victorian era.

Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), 36 metres tall, planted c.1880

Some of these trees can be seen on the left side, just after driving through the entrance gates. To the right is a much more modern creation, entitled the “Japanese Garden”. This does have some oriental features and planting, but also includes many trees, etc., which are definitely not “oriental” in origin, such as Mahonia, Carex, native British ferns, etc. – but the overall effect is great, and this garden is definitely peaceful.

Footbridge in the Japanese Garden

Origami-style Swans Sculptures in Metal (a fave with me)

Looking back to the Bridge, with “Pagoda-style” Pavilion

It is a lovely garden, even in early Autumn, and the fact that it has all been created within a stone’s throw of a Giant Redwood/Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) doesn’t really matter.

Fir Cone Sculpture and base of Sequoiadendron giganteum

This Redwood, panted c.1880, is a mere baby; only 35 metres tall, but still too big to fit into my pics. Anyway, the oldest known was 2,200 years’ old!_

Continuing up the drive, I passed two Noble Firs (Abies procera), and found the first of some of the most informative information boards I’ve ever seen!

I never knew all this!! Again, the nearby trees (36 metres tall) were just too big to get a decent pic, given the available light.

I continued up the drive, and saw this lovely fountain (restored from the original).

The “drive” eventually becane a Beech Avenue (not surprisingly, for me, as Beech -lined drives, or avenues, were popular in the Georgian and Victorian eras (at least, in this “neck of the woods” from my experience).

One side of the Beech Avenue

Emerging from the Beeches, and rounding a bend, I saw the hotel ahead – WOW!

Atholl Palace Hotel, from the Drive

The hotel is a splendid example of its era – Scottish Baronial architecture, as it is known. No wonder some folks think that buildings like this were originally palaces/castles/chateaux! The hotel opened in 1874 under the name of the Athole Hydropathic. It managed to capitalise on several popular ideas of its time: Queen Victoria, who loved the Scottish Highlands ( remember Balmoral), set a trend, not least through her paintings and journals, as well as a certain John Brown): That great Victorian introduction – the railway- made the UK, and many other countries/continents – more accessible: The many movements which had the need for clean air/living at the top of their agendas for the health benefits of the inhabitants of the ever-increasingly industrial-polluted cities: the rr-introduction of “spa” resorts (the wealthy version of the municipal parks movement) – hence the “Hydropathic” in the hotel’s original title.

The original “carriage porch” covered entrance survives

Yes, the “car porch” is not a modern idea!

View from Carriage Porch

It all won me over, am afraid. I succumbed to the lure of the hotel’s Verandah Restaurant.

Three-course Sunday Lunch for £17.95? Hmmm….could get a few take-aways, or DIYs for this, but just had to soak in the history of the building as well as the gardens/plants (is this just an excuse?).

Anyway, the interior is just what I would have expected – faded past splendour, (shabby genteel?), live piano music – but with great food. I had salmon fishcakes, Chicken Balmoral, and Athole Brose – no whisky, etc., as was driving :-((.

It was interesting to see that the hotel really does use herbs and veg from its own garden, also the material for many of its floral displays.

The Hotel’s Kitchen/Herb/Flower garden

I didn’t think that I’d seen/experienced so much in a few hours. Excuse me whilst I have lunch!! Will continue tomorrow……..

Still to come….

The Kitchen Garden, Tulip Tree, Douglas Firs and Cones, Heathers…….

:-))

• 27 Sep, 2009
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