Local history
Strathpeffer before the Spa
People have lived in the Strathpeffer valley for over 5,000 years, as shown by Neolithic burial chambers and axes, and Bronze Age burials and round houses. From about 800BC, the Knockfarrel hillfort to the east was defended, and perhaps lived in. Remains of the vitrified rock, melted during what must have been a catastrophic fire, can still be seen. The crannog, an artificial island, on Loch Kinellan, to the west also probably dates to this period.
In Strathpeffer itself, the first surviving evidence is the Eagle Stone. In the Medieval period Castle Leod, seat of the Clan Mackenzie, was built. The Loch Kinellan crannog was also re-used by another branch of the Mackenzies. In the 17th or 18th century the crannog probably became a hunting lodge.
Until the 19th century there was no Strathpeffer, just four main farms: Kinellan, Park, Kinnettas and Ardival. The growth of the village was due to the conscious development of the area into a spa resort. More history below 👇🏻
This trail takes you around some of the interesting buildings in Strathpeffer.
Highland Historic Environment Record
Records detailing the heritage of The Highland Council area from the earliest human activity to the Cold War.
Remembering Strathpeffer Project
A wonderful collection of memories from Strathpeffer residents over the past 80 years
Historic maps of the Strathpeffer area
Strathpeffer Spa
The benefits of the sulphur and chalybeate (iron-rich) wells in the area began to be exploited in the late 1700s. A wooden pump room was erected in 1819. This was replaced in 1829, and extended in 1871. A second pump room was built c. 1860 and still survives. After 1861 the Cromartie estate invested more in the Spa, encouraging building of much needed accommodation and expanding facilities.
The coming of the railway in 1870 helped, although due to opposition by a local landowner the village was bypassed. The nearest station was Achereneed until the branch line to the Spa opened in 1885. Sleeper trains went from London to Strathpeffer.
Many hotels and large villas were built. The Spa Hotel advertised itself as the earliest. It burned down in 1942 while in use as a wartime hospital. Its rival, the Ben Wyvis Hotel, was built in 1897. Many of the villas were designed to be let to visitors during the season. For example, the houses opposite the Community Centre were built by Donald Mackenzie in 1889. He made his fortune in America - and named his house New York Villa. Many of the houses on our village walk date from the last two decades of the 1800s and into the 1900s. Many doctors consulted in the village. Visitors came from as far afield as the Continent and included royalty and famous people of the day such as Sir Ernest Shackleton and Robert Louis Stevenson. The poor were allowed free water, and later a hospital was built for poor invalids. The bathing rooms had the most advanced facilities. There were concerts, excursions and sporting pursuits.
Wartime Strathpeffer
During World War I many buildings in Strathpeffer were taken over. After the war, the fortunes of the Spa declined. World War II brought another brief, and changed, focus. Many hotels and houses were taken over to accommodate military personnel. The A.T.S. (Auxiliary Territorial Service) had training in the Ben Wyvis Hotel, where there is also said to have been a military jail. Training exercises were run in areas around the village. Prisoners of War based in a nearby camp at Brahan helped at many of the farms around, including Ardival.
Postwar Strathpeffer
After World War I the Spa never revived, but coach tours now bring many visitors to the surviving hotels. The Pavilion continued to hold concerts and attracted coach loads of music fans until it gradually fell into disrepair. Now fortunately restored and in community ownership, it again offers a range of entertainment and events.
Main page text from 'A Walk Around Strathpeffer', a leaflet available from the Community Centre. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, ARCH and Strathpeffer Community Development Trust.