A tiny riverside inn preserves an unusually intact early twentieth-century bar inside a building created for workers in Craigellachie’s railway landscape.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1842; bar fittings circa 1920; later small extension
- Architect / designer
- Original builder unrecorded; bar fittings by A. and R. Dunbar
- Type
- Vernacular single-storey-and-attic riverside public house
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB51121)
- OS grid reference
- NJ 29352 45126
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
The three-bay harled frontage has a boarded door, two pedimented dormers and deep-set windows beneath a slate roof. Inside, the small bar retains a panelled counter, three-bay gantry, boarded dado and a cast-iron fireplace with copper hood.
Its story
The building dates from 1842 and began as a refreshment room associated with railway construction. The Smith family took it over in 1919, and local craftsmen A. and R. Dunbar supplied the compact bar fittings around 1920. The present operator again offers pub hospitality and cottage accommodation.
Why it is included
Category C listing followed a national survey of historic public houses and recognises the inn’s rare scale, surviving fittings and strong link with railway-era labour and local craftsmanship.
What to notice
- The narrow three-bay frontage above the river.
- Pedimented dormers breaking the eaves.
- Original counter and gantry when lawfully inside during opening hours.
Reading the surroundings
Use the pub only during current advertised hours or by arrangement, respect guests in the attached cottage and take particular care on the raised garden and river edge.
Timeline
- 1842 A refreshment room was built beside the developing transport corridor.
- 1919 The Smith family began a long association with the inn.
- Circa 1920 Nearby craftsmen fitted the exceptionally small surviving bar.
- Current operation The premises serve customers and provide bookable cottage accommodation.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The precise opening sequence in the 1840s and the survival of every domestic fitting were not independently established.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Fiddichside Inn, LB51121 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: LB51121 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
- Fiddichside Inn: operator information — Current public-house use, accommodation, contact details and seasonal hours.
Location
OS grid reference NJ 29352 45126 · Location confidence: High: the national designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference; an additional source confirms record identity and archival context. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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