Kilted Deeside hotelier Bill Rose

William Rose, hotelier at Callater Lodge, Braemar, which he ran with his late wife Jean from 1962 until 1991, has died aged 90.

William, known as Bill, remained a member of the Royal Highland Society until his death last month and enjoyed being a member and secretary of the Deeside Diners’ Club.

Father to Duncan and Lorna, he was known for his chatty demeanour and passion for his clan tartan.

Born in Edinburgh, Bill was a twin to Lucille, and younger brother of Margaret.

The family were raised in Tullibody, Clackmannashire, where their father, William Duncan Ogilvie Rose, was the Church of Scotland minister.

Bill’s father passed away when he was just 20 and his mother, Hettie, moved the family to Alloa.

As students of Dollar Academy, his sisters showed promise in academia, but it would be Bill’s love of mechanics and engineering that would determine the course of his future.

Initially working for Harland Engineering, he enrolled for national service in 1954, serving two years with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Old Dalby, Leicestershire.

It was here that he met his future wife, Jean, and after some months of Bill driving between his Scottish home and England, they married in July 1957 before moving into the family home in Alloa.

The couple would have their son, Duncan, in 1958 and daughter, Lorna, in 1961. Working as a struggling draughtsman, Bill had a growing sense of wanting to do more for his young family and saw an opportunity with tourism developing in the Highlands.

In June 1962, he arrived in Braemar with Jean and the children to begin a new life at Callater Lodge.

Despite being involved in all areas of local life, it would be his fondness for kilt-wearing that he became best known for.

On January 10 1982 Braemar reported a record low of -27.2 degrees. When the BBC came to film they used a clip of Bill coming out of the butcher’s in his usual attire with the voiceover: “They’re still wearing the kilt in Braemar.”

“It was hilarious – the phone never stopped ringing. It felt like the whole world had seen dad in his kilt on TV,” Lorna recalled.

Bill Rose ran the Callater Lodge, Braemar, with wife Jean.