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Old Hotels of Sneck


Glen Mhor

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There are quite a few hotels which used to be notable on the old Inverness scene and are now no more - the Douglas (Union Street), the Queensgate, the Royal (Academy Street), the Eastgate, the Albert spring to mind.

Any more to add ?

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Ah ya beat me to it Charlie, got a call halfway through the post! i have had a pint there once, during our 'have a drink in every licenced premises' phase.

But it wasn't a licensed premises, or at least I thought that was their particular "zero tolerance" interpretation of the word Temperance, despite the real meaning being "in moderation" as opposed to the Total Abstinence peddled by the Temperance Movement and the Band of Hope etc.

Which reminds me - have we discussed Catch Ma Pal on this forum and did anybody know that they ran a Catch Ma Pal junior football team at one point many years ago. (Apologies for taking this off thread.)

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The Muirtown Motel

Where of course history was made on September 9th 1993 and Caley voted 55-50 and merge with Thistle. Meanwhile across the river in the Rannoch Lodge, Thistle went for it 33-12. The Rannoch Lodge of course became the Crown Court which I think needs to join this thread since it appears to have gone bust and is no longer honouring bookings.

The Rannoch/ Crown Court scenario make me think that we should also add to this thread those venerable Inverness Hotels which are still in existence but which have had their names corrupted.

The Station has become The Royal Highlander :(

The Cummings has become The Highwayman :(

The Caley has become the Ramada Jarvis :(

BUT The Thistle is still The Thistle :D

And they had the good sense to restore the Kingsmills, so it looks like 2-0 to Jags on that one. :angry:

One other defunct Inverness Hotel which comes to mind is the Ness Castle which was a pretty dismal establishment about half a mile off the Dores Road where you had to turn left just out past Holm Hill. I'm not surprised it didn't last the pace and it was last heard of converted into rented flats. Very much against my better judgement I went to view one about 4 or 5 years ago and couldn't wait to get out of the place!

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  • 9 years later...

no Caley Thistle forum discussion would be complete without mentioning the Muirtown Motel ... technically not a 'hotel' but close enough ! 

 

KCMK0207.JPG

 

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On 2/27/2010 at 11:10 PM, Glen Mhor said:

There are quite a few hotels which used to be notable on the old Inverness scene and are now no more - the Douglas (Union Street), the Queensgate, the Royal (Academy Street), the Eastgate, the Albert spring to mind.

 

Any more to add ?

I have a copy of the 1962 AA Members Handbook and it lists a few I've never heard of. Bruar, Old Edinburgh Road, Hanover, Ness Bank and Haughdale also Ness Bank.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Bruar Hotel was in Old Edinburgh Road (just townwards from St Stephen's Church, and on same side of road) and became the YWCA and latterly run by Cairn Housing Association - before being recently put up for sale (sold now I believe). I am intrigued who the "heads" are either side of front door, and what the initials on the gate signify (CFM?). 

IMG_20190615_185526a.JPG

IMG_20190615_185545a.JPG

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I drive past it on a regular basis so never noticed any detail.  It might have been a homeless hostel but might be wrong.  I don't think the CF is anything to do with Caledonian Football Club but might be initials of a previous owner.  The gates are made of steel by the rust compared with the iron railings above the front door.

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A google for "30 Old Edinburgh Road" reveals that it is, or was recently, known as Flora Macdonald House.   I don't know why.   But it might be that the heads on either side of the door are meant to be Charlie (not Bannerman!) and Flora.

The heads, and the stonework immediately above the door look quite unweathered - ie relatively modern - to me.

One might suspect that the initials could be 'C' for Charles and 'FM' for Flora Macdonald. But I think that's unlikely - I would have expected at least an 'S' for "Stuart", and more likely 'McD' or a conjoined 'MD' - ie with the M & the D joined together - for MacDonald.

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In 1905 it was Alister Cottage which was the front part only occupied by Alexander Fraser.  The rear part was added on by 1930 with other occupants in between times and it is first listed as a hotel in 1940, Hugh Fraser Robson, Bruar Private Hotel, 30 Old Edinburgh Road.  

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  • 4 months later...
On 7/19/2019 at 8:57 PM, IBM said:

In 1905 it was Alister Cottage which was the front part only occupied by Alexander Fraser.

Have just discovered that my maternal grandmother - whom I never knew because she died young - was living there as a 20-year-old housemaid for the Frasers at the 02 April 1911 Census.

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2 hours ago, snorbens_caleyman said:

Have just discovered that my maternal grandmother - whom I never knew because she died young - was living there as a 20-year-old housemaid for the Frasers at the 02 April 1911 Census.

My maternal great grandmother was just round the corner at the same time aged 35.  She was widowed and also lost a 10 month old son within a month in 1902.

02 April 1911 Census.  St Aubyns, 36 Southside Road, Inverness.  Domestic Cook for the Shaw family (Duncan Shaw County Clerk of Anderson Shaw Solicitors)

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