Atholl Palace Museum
Self-guided museum in the servants’ wing of the Atholl Palace Hotel, telling the story of the former hydropathic hotel and its staff.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Atholl Palace Museum opened in 2005 and is described as the first hotel museum in the United Kingdom. It is set in the old servants’ wing of the Atholl Palace Hotel in Pitlochry, which opened in 1878 as a hydropathic establishment, a water-cure spa. The building was designed by the Perthshire architect Andrew Heiton Jr.
The museum follows the hotel’s story from its beginnings through bankruptcy, colourful entrepreneurs and unusual spa treatments to the years when wartime evacuees used it as a school and its reopening after the Second World War. It also shows the working lives of Victorian servants. Displays include a rail carriage, a doctor’s room equipped as in the 1870s, a lit wine cellar and a recreated servants’ bedroom where visitors can dress up. A 15-minute film, The Story of the Atholl Palace, is also shown.
Highlights
- Story of a Victorian hydropathic hotel
- Recreated servants’ bedroom with dressing up
- Doctor’s room equipped as in the 1870s
- Rail carriage and lit wine cellar
- 15-minute film about the hotel
Permanent exhibitions
- The story of the Atholl Palace – The hotel’s history from its opening as a hydropathic in 1878 to the years after the Second World War, with a rail carriage, the doctor’s cupboards and a lit wine cellar.
- Servants’ quarters – The working lives of Victorian maids, porters, chauffeurs and gardeners, with a recreated bedroom that slept six servants.
- Founded
- 2005
- Operated by
- Atholl Palace Hotel
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £3 |
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| Children & teens | freefree up to age 15 · Children under 16 are free. |
Adults (16 and over) who are not hotel guests pay £3.00. Guests of the Atholl Palace Hotel enter free. Tickets are collected at reception, where a free copy of the Hydropathic Herald is given out. Family and concession prices are not listed.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 15 |
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- Hands-on stations
Visitors, including children, can dress up as a hotel servant, and children can explore a Minecraft version of the hotel and grounds. The exhibits include tactile items.
Getting there & parking
The museum is inside the Atholl Palace Hotel; ask at reception for directions to it.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Restaurant
The hotel has the Verandah Restaurant and the Stag’s Head Bar, and afternoon tea is served in the lounge.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | The museum is self-guided. A 15-minute film, The Story of the Atholl Palace, is shown. The museum is on the lower ground floor of the hotel. |
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