Lovat Arms and Station Hotel
Location type
Name and dates
Lovat Arms and Station Hotel (1869-)Description
This hotel has a commanding position overlooking a grassy garden to the east. Through the trees Loch Ness and the former Fort Augustus Abbey (once Fort Augustus [Fort] itself) can be seen.
The hotel site is shown as 'King's Inn' on first edition Ordnance Survey maps (perhaps a Kings House, associated with military road building).
The hotel is on the site of the small Kiliwhimin Barracks (1718) replaced by the larger Fort Augustus [Fort] (1729) to the east. A wall of the older barracks remains. The hotel was known as the 'Lovat Arms Hotel' by 1901.
The Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway opened in 1903 and the present hotel was built, the architect being James Russell Burnett. This hotel was the 'Lovat Arms and Station Hotel'. On the opening day of the new line the dignitaries retired to the new hotel after arrival in the village by train.
When opened in 1903 it was advertised as 'the only licensed hotel in the village' owning boats and offering to residents free 'salmon and trout fishing on Loch Ness'. It was further described as 'at terminus', 'large and luxuriously furnished' and 'the only first class family and tourist hotel in Fort Augustus'.
The railway now owned the hotel, although it did not directly manage it (the first licensee was David Rattray). It passed from the original company to the North British Railway in 1914. It later passed into London and North Eastern Railway ownership in the 1923 grouping of the railways, under whose ownership it had 30 bedrooms.
With the closure of the railway to passengers in 1933 the hotel became 'The Lovat Arms Hotel'. The line closed altogether between 1945 (withdrawal of freight), 1946 (official closure) and 1947 (possible reprieve abandoned).
The hotel remains open today. The railway is remembered in the name of the road 'Station Road' - the hotel's address. This road linked the village, hotel and Fort Augustus station.
The Lovat Arms Hotel
Tags
HotelAliases
Lovat Arms| Nearby stations Fort Augustus Fort Augustus Pier Aberchalder Invergarry Invergloy Platform Tulloch Roy Bridge Fersit Halt Spean Bridge Gairlochy Dalwhinnie Newtonmore Kingussie Beauly Banavie Pier | Fort Augustus Locks Fort Augustus Swing Bridge Oich Viaduct Battery Rock Calder Burn Viaduct Loch Oich Tunnel Invergarry Iron Works Tourist/other Fort Augustus Abbey Old Bridge Of Oich Fort Augustus Lighthouse Fort Augustus RNAD Depot Aberchalder Lodge Bridge of Oich Loch Oich Glengarry Castle Hotel |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
| 22/07/1903 | Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway
Highland Railway Line opened by Eliza Stewart Ellice of Invergarry House. The service was operated by the Highland Railway who were keen to keep the North British Railway away from Inverness. Connecting David Hutcheson and Co steamers operating along the Caledonian Canal connecting the line to Inverness via Loch Ness and the canal. Stations opened at Gairlochy, Invergarry, Aberchalder, Fort Augustus and Fort Augustus Pier. The Lovat Arms and Station Hotel was rebuilt and reopened in connection with new line. |
| 31/12/1914 | Invergarry and Fort Augustus RailwayNorth British Railway North British Railway buys line and railway hotel (Lovat Arms and Station Hotel) at Fort Augustus. |
