New lease of life for landmark
Ossian’s Hall at The Hermitage A popular landmark at a Perth beauty spot has been given a new lease of live.
The North Perthshire Rangers at the National Trust of Scotland have been busy renovating Ossian’s Hall at The Hermitage.
Ossian’s Hall, which overlooks the Black Linn Falls of the River Braan, has been cleaned up and repainted, with more works to be carried out in the coming weeks and months.
Alexandra Effinger, one of the local rangers, explained: “We have had some work carried out at Ossian’s Hall.
“The whole place has been repainted on the inside, the glass has been cleaned and the mirrored panels have been cleaned.
“The hall is open to the public all year round every day of the week, so it needs some general maintenance every so often.
“The paint gets dirty and fades away, and we need to keep it cleaned.
“The public seem really pleased.
“A lot of people have their wedding here, so we need to make sure it looks appealing and clean for everyone, but especially those who chose to have their special day here.
“This is a very important site for us so we need to make sure it looks the best.”
Ossian’s Hall was built by the Second Duke of Atholl in 1757 overlooking the Black Linn Falls of the River Braan.
It was redecorated in 1783 as a shrine to the blind bard Ossian, who is thought to have lived and written in the woodland during the third century.
However, the shrine was blown up in 1869 by vandals, and the area was left to fall into a state of ruin.
In 1943, the Eighth Duchess of Atholl donated Ossian’s Hall and the 33 acres of woodland around the banks of the River Braan to the National Trust for Scotland, in accordance with the wishes of the late duke.
Since then, the National Trust of Scotland has restored the building and it is now enjoyed by thousands who flock to the Hermitage to enjoy its beauty.
More structural work is set to take place on Ossian’s Hall in the coming weeks.
Alexandra continued: “We need to get some more work done, so in the following weeks and months we will have a plasterer and a joiner out.
“We need to make sure the repairs are done as exact as possible and as authentically as possible as the people back then did it.
“We need to make sure we use the right lime mortar and the right stone, so it is a tricky job.
“A specialist will need to come in to work on the walls and the roof.”