Building record MAB6183 - DOWANS HOTEL, ABERLOUR

House dating from the later 19th century, now a hotel.

House dating from the later 19th century, now a hotel. It was built in 1888 for John Cummings the owner of the nearby Cardhu Distillery. During World War II it was requisitioned by the British Army to serve as a senior officers' mess. After the war the house was bequeathed to the Governors of the Aberlour Orphanage, and in 1953 renamed the Princess Margaret Orphanage Nursery School. The Orphanage and Nursery closed in 1967 and it became a hotel in the early 1970s. Wall paintings dating from the period of use as an orphanage were uncovered during renovation works in 2014. A British warship, desert scene with trekking camels and an aeroplane were found under three layers of wallpaper, an alphabet board and hopscotch were found under the carpet in the bar, and in the restaurant there were illustrations of children's nursery rhymes thought to have been painted in the 1960s. A Level 1 Standing Building Survey of the outbuildings was carried out in July 2018 by Stuart Farrell prior to proposed demolition. The outbuildings were recorded as having been built in 1888 as a laundry and larders, with additions in 1895 and altered in 1981 to form a house. They are recorded as being constructed from yellow sandstone rubble with crowstepped gables, a small ball finial, plain quoins to the corners, squared sandstone lintels and a slate roof with red-tile ridging in part.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 26/10/2014 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

FARRELL, S, 2018, ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDING OF OUTBUILDINGS AT THE DOWANS HOTERL, ABERLOUR, MORAY, L1 SBS (Bibliographic reference). SAB4133.

FARRELL, S, 2018, PROJECT DESIGN FOR PROPOSED RECORDING OF OUTBUILDINGS AT THE DOWANS HOTERL, ABERLOUR, MORAY, WSI (Bibliographic reference). SAB4134.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2019, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 19, 2018, p. 138 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6524.

Record last edited

Jun 12 2019 1:16PM