Grantown-on-Spey

In Grantown on Spey there are various hotels, B&B's and self-catering accommodation. There is a large caravan park at Grantown-on-Spey managed by the Caravan and Motorhome Club.[20]

The Square, including the former Speyside Orphanage building and clocktower (1824).

Grantown Museum is located in Burnfield Avenue near one of the town's car parks. In 1861, the Grantown Female School (Burnfield House) was built with funds from Captain John Grant, a factor of Strathspey.[21] The school closed in 1890 when its pupils transferred to Grantown Grammar School and Burnfield House is now the home of the Grantown Museum.[21] Adjacent to the museum is a Bell tower that holds the old town bell.[22]

The Speyside Orphanage (also known as the Speyside Charity/Free School) was established in 1795, with funds from Lady Grant of Monymusk.[23][24] It was originally built by local builder John Russell but was damaged by fire and rebuilt in 1824, it closed in 1975.[23][25] The building was converted to a heritage centre and then later to private flats in 1986.[26] The building is Category A listed and has a small clock tower, with an electric public turret clock from 1975 (the earlier clock is in the town museum).[25][24]

The High Street and Square contain several notable examples of scottish baronial architecture and Georgian and Victorian era buildings.[27] At the corner of 1 High Street and 1 The Square is a Category B listed former bank built by Matthews and Laurie.[28][29] The building was purpose built in 1867 and originally housed the Caledonian Bank, later the Bank of Scotland and last remaining bank in Grantown, before finally closing in March 2021.[30] Numbers 3 and 5 High Street is a turreted building that formerly contained the Town Post Office and the premises of A.C. Grant, formerly supplier of Tweeds to HM King George V.[27][31] At 57 High Street is the Ben Mhor hotel, dating to the 1880s that was formerly the Temperance Hotel.[10] The Strathspey Hotel (also called the Dunbar's Hotel) is an early 19th century Category B listed former hotel building at 70/72 High Street that is now converted into homes.[27][32][33] Hastilow's Palace Hotel was a large former hotel with multiple dormer windows (built in 1894 on the site of the previous Black Bull Inn) on the High Street and is now a care home.[27][10] The Grant Arms Hotel is a listed hotel on the Square which in its current form was primarily built in 1875, with substantial additions in the 1880s.[34][35] The earlier hotel building was built in 1765 and on 4th September 1860 hosted Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.[35][9] The Garth Hotel on the Square dates back to 1769 when it was built for James Grant, clerk and factor to Sir James Grant as a private residence and was later converted to a hotel.[36] Craiglynne Hotel is a late 19th century hotel on the western edge of the town on Woodlands Terrace.[37]

The Royal British Legion building on the Square is an Art Deco building that was formerly a cinema from the 1920s to the early 1960s, before becoming a hall for the legion.[38][39]

Ian Charles Community Hospital is an NHS Scotland community hospital providing healthcare services in Grantown-on-Spey.[40]

Anagach Woods is located on the eastern edge of the town and has numerous waymarked trails.[41][42] It is home to a Capercaillie population.[42]

Inverallan Parish Church (built 1886)

There are a number of churches in the town (none of which has a burial ground).

Inverallan Parish Church (Church of Scotland) is located on Mossie Road.[43] The current Inverallan church was rebuilt on the site of several earlier churches to a design by the architect Alexander Smith Cullen in 1886.[44][45][7] The rebuilding was funded by Caroline Stuart, Countess of Seafield as a memorial to the death of her husband and son.[44] The church is in Victorian Gothic in style and set out in a cruciform shape.[44] The church incorporates details from the previous churches on the site, including carvings and woodwork from the 17th century.[44]

The Baptist church is at the junction of High Street and Chapel Road. A church in the High Street (opposite Dunstaffnage Brae) is shared by two congregations:

• Scottish Episcopalian (St Columba)
• Roman Catholic (St Anne), who advertise the location as Woodlands Crescent (postcode PH26 3EN).

There are two local cemeteries, both of which are maintained by the Highland Council:

• Inverallan, the original burial ground which is now only available for use by holders of existing vacant lairs. Most older inscriptions have been transcribed and published in book form; memorials with no events after 1855 are mostly unrecorded in published form. It is between the River Spey and Inverallan House at O.S. grid reference NJ 026 260 and is beside the car park at the end of a road leading from the B9102 road. Apart from the baptism font beside the entrance gate the original Inverallan parish church no longer remains. Official records for this burial ground were not started until the 1900s when the gravedigger retired and it was realised that he was then the only source of information regarding burials not indicated on the memorials; the current burial register was founded upon the information supplied by him thus only burials recorded since that time have details supplied contemporaneously by relatives or undertakers.
• Grantown (also known as the New Cemetery) which has been in use since the early 20th century. It is located between the B9102 and the A95 roads south of Grantown at O.S. grid reference NJ 027 267. The main entrance and car parking is on the B9102 with an alternative access to the lower end from the A95 Grantown bypass.

The Old Spey Bridge (dating from 1754) is closed to motor traffic and used by pedestrians and cyclists.

The town was built on an accessible site along the existing military road from Boat of Garten to Inverness and Fort George (built between 1728 and 1730).[6] These are now respectively, the A95 road, the B9102 (the High Street and Square), and the A939 road to the north.

The Old Spey Bridge lies on the south-eastern edge of Grantown at Speybridge.[46][47] The bridge dates from 1754 and was built as part of the military road from Grantown eastwards to Corgaff by the 33rd Regiment of Foot under Lord Charles Hay.[46][47] The bridge has three arches and was damaged by large floods in 1829 leading to the smallest arch being rebuilt.[46][47] By 1931, the old bridge was considered insufficient and a modern concrete bridge replace it upstream to the west (the current A95 crossing).[46] The new bridge was built by engineers Blyth & Blyth and consists of single segmental concrete arch of 240 ft.[48] The old bridge is now used by pedestrians and cyclists.[46][48]

There are currently no rail services to Grantown. The closest main line stations are Aviemore and Carrbridge from which trains travel north and south between Inverness and the Central Belt on the Highland Main Line. There is also a station at Forres from which trains run between Inverness and Aberdeen.

Prior to the 1960s, Grantown-on-Spey was connected by rail.[8] The completion of the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway occurred in 1863 and increased the number of tourists and visitors to town.[8] There were two stations, Grantown-on-Spey East and Grantown-on-Spey West. Grantown west station was rebuilt in 1887 to improve facilities for passengers. By October 1965, both stations closed to passengers and in 1968, freight services ended.[49] The Strathspey Railway is a heritage railway which currently runs between Aviemore and Broomhill (nr Nethy Bridge) via Boat of Garten. The railway has been progressively reopening the line and work is ongoing to extend the railway again to Grantown. This included the placement of a new bridge over the River Dulnain.[50][51]

There are several local bus services mainly concentrating on the route to Aviemore but also serving surrounding places. Some services operate only on schooldays. There are a few buses that go to the Cairngorm Mountain Railway (a lot more in the winter to get skiers up to the mountain).

Various long distance bus services are available in Aviemore, Elgin and Keith. Current information for bus services of most of the operators is consolidated within the websites of the Moray Council and the Stagecoach group.