Faskally house, Pitlochry � Year is uncertain

Date Added: 15 October 2022 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1984 Picture No: 5483

The images are courtesy of Michael Lawrence of Bankfoot whose grandfather, Sandy Rose, was Forester and Head Forester at Ledmore Forest Nursery from Nov 1949 (when land was acquired) until his retirement in 1969. In 1966 the nearby Strathord Forest was brought under his charge.

The year of this image is very uncertain but the style of caravan and cars in front of the house point to the 1970s. Compared with the previous picture image No 5482, the trees and shrubs in front of the house are quite different. It is likely this was after the closure of this house as the base for Faskally Forester Training School. The road construction embankment in the back ground may be part of the Killycrankie bypass scheme which was opened about 1983.

Any information would be very welcome.

Download Large Version (680kB)

Groups: Forester Training Schools and Universities

2 Comments

Just wondering where the head forester lived in 1974

Comment left on 18 September 2025 at 15:46 by Elaine Quirk

When I moved to the Perth FR outstation in 1985 Tavish McMillan, Head Forester, Tay Forest District, was living in the Gardener's Cottage, on the edge of the Faskally House walled kitchen garden that can be seen between the trees to the top right of Faskally House in the photograph. Tavish, as the sitting tenant, had purchased the house when the FC was selling off it's forester housing stock at this time. I do not know how long Tavish had been resident there. He was a student at Faskally House in the class of 1955-57 being one of 4 class prize winners. Tavish can be seen in photographs #617 and #918 in this archive.

The galvanised steel crash barrier on the re-aligned A9T can be seen running horizontally behind the tops of the policy planting trees, to the rear of Faskally House, above the Perth - Inverness railway line. Based on that observation, I would suggest that the photograph was taken at the time the Killiecrankie elevated section of the A9T was being constructed, which was after my arrival in 1985.

I believe the last class of FC foresters left Faskally House in 1972, when the FC forester training school was closed and Newton Rigg, outside Penrith, Cumbria, took over the role of forester technical training, OND and City and Guilds courses. The house then became incorporated into the Freshwater Fish Laboratory, having been shared, with the FC since the 1950's. When the laboratory moved to new adjacent buildings in the early 1990's the house was sold in 1996 for �210,000 to the Faskally Christian Trust, who run family holidays, childrens camps and other events at the house and in its grounds. I am happy to amend this comment, if other proven information is offered. Comment left on 19 September 2025 at 00:22 by Bill Rayner

Form Goes Here