site by athollsweb

The Story of the Atholl Palace

Our museum, situated on the garden level of the Atholl Palace Hotel, is now open every day from 10am to 6pm. Please pay at the reception desk where we will give you directions.

It tells the stories of the people who built, worked at, and visited the Atholl Palace from the time building began in 1874, until today. The museum also looks at the Hydropathic movement, the reasons for building a large Hydropathic Establishment in Pitlochry and the impact it had on the emerging small town of Pitlochry (population currently c. 2,500).

A 15 minute film 'The Story of The Atholl Palace' explains how the hotel has changed and adapted over nearly 130 years. It began as a Hydropathic Establishment, run on strict temperance principles to treat people in the healthy air of Pitlochry. During the world wars 2 schools sheltered in its walls, and relaxed into a luxurious spa hotel.

Rooms have been set up, with audio stories, in accordance with the original hotel plans, to show the working life of a Victorian hydropathic establishment, including the medical room of the resident physician.

We have collected many first hand accounts of life at the hotel and hope to collect many more as we grow. Not only are these stories a fascinating glimpse into life in the past, but we also hope this will be useful to visitors researching their own family history.

Pitlochry has many other places of historical interest many of which feature on the town history trail.