Description
Possibly 1883 incorporating late 1830s fabric, extended 1897 and 1987. 3-storey and attic, 6-bay hotel with pavilion roofs and crenellated stair tower; extensions to W and S, and former stable not included in this listing. Squared and snecked rubble with ashlar quoins at 2nd floor, ashlar margins, those to NE raised. Round-headed dormer windows with overhanging bracketted and pendant-finialled gablets; corbelled stack. Stone mullions and stop-chamfered arrises.
NE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION. recessed centre bays fronted by canopy of slender cast-iron columns with decorative braces, modern door in bay to right and bipartite windows to centre and left bays; 4 windows to each floor above and 4 dormer windows to mansard. Slightly advanced flanking outer bays each with delicate cast-iron brattishing surmounting canted tripartite window at ground and 1st floor, bipartite window to 2nd floor and dormer window to French pavilion roof. 1897 extension adjoining to outer right.
SE ELEVATION: full-height corbelled shouldered stack piercing eaves to right of centre, window to each floor in bay to left, and dormer window above. Former stable block projecting at left, and variety of elements in bays extending to outer left (beyond stable projection) including timber and stone-pedimented dormer windows, and engaged crenellated tower.
NW (GARDEN) ELEVATION: irregular elevation with bays to left obscured by extension; 2 unaltered bays to right, that to left with canted 4-light window to each floor giving way to finialled polygonal roof, that to right with bipartite window to ground and stone-pedimented dormer window above.
SW ELEVATION: gabled elevation with French window in bay to leftt at ground, window to right and regular fenestration to 1st floor.
4-pane and plate glass glazing patterns in timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Coped and shouldered ashlar stacks with some cans, and stepped ashlar-coped skews.
INTERIOR: largely altered, but retaining main dog-leg staircase with decorative cast-iron balusters and timber handrail, and some decorative and plain plasterwork cornices. Art Deco chimneypieces and staircase.
GLASSHOUSES: range of lean-to glasshouses to NW boundary.
BOUNDARY WALLS, GATEPIERS, GATES AND RAILINGS: coped rubble boundary walls with some inset hooped ironwork railings; segmentally-coped and finialled, square-section, stop-chamfered, ashlar gatepiers dated '18' '83', and hooped ironwork gates.
Statement of Special Interest
The oldest known photograph of Fisher's Hotel shows the original 1840s appearance with dominant 2-storey outer gables flanking recessed bays with dormerheaded windows. According to the NSA "It had often been the subject of complaint that such a village should have been so long without a suitable inn. The want is now remedied. Mr Butter of Faskally has built a good commodious house." Mr Donald Fisher, took the building over after 1854, subsequently laying out begonia beds in the style of those at Kew Gardens. Extensive alterations later took place, possibly in 1883 when new gatepiers were erected. The 1897 extension (mansard added 1987) extending the principal facade was reputedly a retaliatory move by Mr Fisher for the building of Alba Place opposite, he is recorded as saying "If you won't let me see Ben-y-Vrackie, then I won't let you see my gardens". Mr Fisher died in 1908, and in 1910 the hotel was offered for sale as part of 'The Perthshire Estates of Archibald Edward Butter of Faskally', it was at that time "standing in beautifully laid-out Gardens .... Let on lease to a Limited Company and .... under excellent management". The accommodation included a "Large Dining Room 61' x 33', with an excellent Floor for Dancing, and 85 comfortable Sitting and Bed Rooms". The annual rent, together with a stretch of salmon fishing on the Tummel, was ?1,012. The hotel was taken over as officer's rest facilities during both World Wars, owned by Major Butter's Consortium by the 1960s, and subsequently sold to British Trust Hotels in 1987 at which time 51 bedrooms were added.