Images of Loch Katrine

Photograph © Alistair Ferrie

The Teapot

The Teapot, nearby Kinlochard on the Aberfoyle road, was a 500 year old piece of Loch Katrine history.

In the era when the only means of conveyance to this Parish was by coach and horse, The Teapot, being midway betwixt Aberfoyle and Inversnaid was a watering wayleave for both the horses and the passengers. What strangers, who were mostly English tourists, didn't know was the innkeeper kept the best illicit whiskey still in the Shire! Being oblivious to this entirely illegal (but popular) hostelry, the daft English guests ordered pots of tea whereas the locals ordered "glasses of Tea." What the English visitors thought of grooms and ostlers staggering about for no apparent reason, is not recorded.

I use the term "was" because it was destroyed in mid May 2003 by the new owner. Here is an extract from the Daily Mail of Sat 17 May 2003:

"...National Park planning officers said that because the building was on private land and did not have listed status, the authority could not stop its destruction. A spokesman said 'The cottage once appeared on Historic Scotland's non-statutory list of buildings of special historic or architectural interest. Following a re-survey in 1979 Historic Scotland decided not to include it on its statutory list.'

Stirling Council's Regional Archaeologist Lorna Main said, 'The National Park received an application to develop an adjacent house in January 2003. The application said simply..."refurbishment and extension of existing property at Teapot Cottage ... the new owner has done nothing illegal but obviously didn't know the historical, architectural and archaeological significance of the house.'

Carolynn Black-Stoops with a teapot at site of The Teapot.
The destroyed building was on the left. July 2003

Is that it then? another Lanrick? ... is this a legacy of the leniency handed down post-Lanrick and is this something we should come to expect from officials whom we entrust to care for our heritage? This was not a MacGregor owned property*  but it still says a great deal about what we face as we try to save those that are.

Update 10 January 2004

"...as the new owners of this lovely old house we feel it is right and proper to bring it into the 20th century. There is very little land adjacent and it was therefore necessary to demolish some of the older outer buildings to accommodate our plans for the site."

The property, now cleared and never "refurbished" or "extended", is up for sale.

 

E-mail Contacts Stirling Council MPs The Trossachs National Park Historic Scotland

Websites Stirling Council The Trossachs National Park Historic Scotland

* The last tenant, John MacGregor and his wife lived at the Teapot for 47 years. He lost his wife in 1995. John (Jock) stayed on at the Teapot until 2001 and now lives in Aberfoyle.

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Updated 18 January, 2009