Latest news with #BattleofCulloden
Press and Journal
16-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Closed Portsoy hotel could be turned into mansion worth £700k after sudden closure
A historic Portsoy hotel could be turned into a massive dream home months after its sudden closure. Durn House lies on the outskirts of the picturesque coastal community. It's part of the Durn Estate, which dates back to the 16th century, with the B-listed building itself erected in the 1700s. The historic hotel even has connections with the Battle of Culloden, the Scottish Crown Jewels and Queen Victoria. And it retains much of its period charm, such as a spiral staircase leading down to the basement and a large entrance hall with an open fireplace. The current owner purchased the building back in 2006, and carried out refurbishments for six years. Durn House had been operating as a hotel and restaurant for several years. However the business closed suddenly in 2024. Owner Sandra Anne Scrudis plans to turn Durn House from an eight-bedroom hotel and restaurant back into a house. According to planning papers submitted to Aberdeenshire Council, she lives in East Peckham in Kent. The forms state: 'Looking to change the use of this property back to residential. 'Current use is commercial as an eight-bedroom hotel and restaurant. The building is currently vacant and the business has stopped trading in mid 2024.' Blueprints sent to the council show the layout of the four-storey building, suggesting that there are no plans to make any 'internal changes'. And it appears efforts are already being made to sell it as a house. Durn House is currently on the market for offers over £685,000. Sales agent Knight Frank describe it as a 'charming 18th century Georgian guesthouse offering a business or private home'. You can see the new plans on the Aberdeenshire Council website. 'Tom's dying wish': Inside historic Portsoy harbour buildings amid multi-million-pound labour of love to revive them Would you like to own a library? Slice of Portsoy history hits the market Portsoy's Aspire restaurant wins fight for extension as 'booming business surprised by huge success'
Press and Journal
07-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Coffee horsebox to bring much-needed refreshments for Harry Potter tourists at Glencoe
If you are looking for a tasty treat at Glenfinnan, then a newly permitted horsebox coffee shop might meet your caffeine needs. The retrospective application was lodged by Acharacle-based Iain Gillies of A Taste of Freedom Foods to continue operating the Glenfinnan Coffee Company. Iain, along with his brother James, hopes to continue the business from the car park at St Mary and St Finnan Catholic Church. Glenfinnan Coffee Company offers a 'decent coffee' Glenfinnan Coffee Company has been granted planning permission. Image: Glenfinnan Coffee Company/ Highland Council. There are 10 car parking places to allow people to stop and enjoy a cup of strong coffee. The area around Glenfinnan and the West Highland Railway attracts thousands of visitors every day because of its connections to the Battle of Culloden, the TV series Outlander, and, of course, the Harry Potter films that are 'set' in the area. With that huge influx of visitors, it has been difficult at times to find parking or somewhere to eat. Iain and James set up the business in 2022 after living abroad for years in various countries. Being back in their natural environment felt great, but something was missing: 'a decent coffee.' They bought a horsebox coffee wagon from a friend in London. They tweaked it for a pop-up in the Highlands and experimented with various coffees to find the perfect flavours. The result: 'An authentic Highland coffee experience'. Glenfinnan Coffee Company has been granted planning permission. Image: Glenfinnan Coffee Company/ Highland Council. But they had been operating at Glenfinnan without the necessary planning permission. In November, Mr Gillies asked Highland Council for permission to continue. He told planners: 'I would like to continue with my mobile coffee horsebox business. It has been running through the summer months since 2022. 'In May, I had a telephone conversation with a member of the planning department in Inverness, and he recommended applying for planning permission.' The application has now been approved. Other planning applications lodged in Fort William A retrospective application for the extension of decking and glazed balustrade was lodged for land at Glenancross at Askival, Cambusdarach Planning applications that have been decided Highland Council has said that a screening application is required for the Coire Glas Hydro Pump Storage Scheme. The application covers construction work to accommodate the installation of 4o0kv electricity lines from Coire Glas to the National Grid. Extension above a garage to form a short-term letting unit on land west of West Tirindrish, Spean Bridge was withdrawn. Have you signed up for our Oban and Hebrides newsletter? Every week our Oban-based reporter Louise Glen curates the best news in the area. Sign up here for local news straight to your inbox. And if you'd like to join the conversation on West Coast Chat on Facebook, we'd love to hear from you.
BBC News
01-05-2025
- BBC News
Flora MacDonald's dog to become a tour guide at Inverness Castle
A dog that forms part of a statue to Flora MacDonald is the inspiration for a guide to show young visitors around Inverness Castle when it opens as a tourist famously helped Bonnie Prince Charlie evade capture after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in Castle Experience is bringing the border collie to life in cartoon form as guide through the castle's is no historical record of the dog's name and a schools competition has been launched to find one. The statue stands near the front of Inverness former sheriff court and prison is being redeveloped as a visitor attraction at a cost of about £30m and is due to open later this project has received funding from the £315m Inverness and Highland City Region Deal, castle will have an interactive "journey" taking visitors through the history of the Highlands. Culloden on 16 April 1746 saw forces loyal to Bonnie Prince Charlie defeated by the Duke of Cumberland's government near Inverness, it involved the deaths of about 1,600 men - 1,500 of them the battle the prince and a number of his supporters went on the run across the Highlands and who was living in Benbecula, was among those who helped the prince evade capture by government redcoat suggested he be disguised as her serving maid for the crossing to Skye, where he was given shelter before continuing his escape to France.
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Outlander creator 'forgot' key detail about character in books
Outlander's author, Diana Gabaldon, had to be jogged about a significant detail from her own books after she queried the showrunners about a character's appearance in the Starz series. The second season of Outlander saw Jamie (portrayed by Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) throwing a dinner party in Paris. Their aim was to alter history's course, averting the catastrophic Battle of Culloden and stopping Bonnie Prince Charlie (Andrew Gower) from heading to Scotland to reclaim the throne. As part of their plot, they invited key figures such as Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Duke of Sandringham (Simon Callow), and several French nobles including the Comte St. Germain (Stanley Weber) and his wife, the Comtesse St. Germain (Gaia Weiss). However, it appears that Gabaldon had entirely forgotten about the Comtesse, as previously disclosed in the official Outlander podcast, reports the Scottish Daily Express . Screenwriter and producer Toni Graphia revealed: "The Comte St Germain shows up and he's a surprise guest and that woman - that is his wife. "I had a really great time watching the [fans] when we released the photos of the dinner party, long before the season started, all the fans trying to guess who is this woman at the dinner table? Who is she?". "The answer they'll find out in this episode [La Dame Blanche] was that she was the Comte's wife." Graphia revealed, "Which is something that Diana had in the book [Dragonfly In Amber] that was only one sentence. Diana herself actually forgot it." She went on to share an amusing anecdote, "So when I wrote in the script that the Comte brings his wife, Diana actually sent a note that said, 'The Comte doesn't have a wife.' I said, 'Actually, he does. It's in the book. You wrote it!'" which drew an unexpected reaction as, "And she laughed and said, 'Oh my gosh, I forgot it! I forgot that he had a wife that I wrote that.'" Adding to the complexity, Graphia stated, "Which is understandable considering how gigantic the books are and how many she's written and how long ago she wrote it." Clarifying further, Graphia explained, "But he did have a wife and we were like, 'Perfect, we'll put her in the dinner party' and everyone was trying to figure out for the longest time who she was." In Gabaldon's novels, the Comte is shown as a time traveller with connections to Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon), both understanding their unique capability of moving across epochs. While fans ponder if the Comte will appear again, in the series he's linked to Fergus Fraser's (César Domboy) narrative - hinting that the once street-wise kid could be his offspring, with a substantial fortune and estate awaiting him. Diana Gabaldon is busy crafting the final instalment of her Outlander series, the forthcoming 10th novel, anticipated to conclude her grand narrative. Despite this, readers shouldn't hold their breath for its release before the eighth and concluding season of the show airs. However, the producers of the Starz adaptation have already confirmed that the TV version will deviate from the original books. The Outlander series finale is anticipated to conclude Jamie and Claire's extensive narrative differently than the novels, with fans eagerly awaiting answers about Jamie's ghost, a mystery that has been lingering since the first episode. Outlander season 7 is available to buy now on Digital and is streaming on MGM+ via Prime Video now
Irish Daily Star
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Star
Outlander creator Diana Gabaldon 'forgot' detail about villain
Outlander author Diana Gabaldon had to be jogged about a significant detail in her books after she queried the show's producers about the inclusion of a character in the Starz series. The second season of Outlander saw Jamie (portrayed by Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) throwing a dinner party in Paris. The couple were fervently trying to alter the course of history, aiming to prevent the catastrophic Battle of Culloden from happening and stop Bonnie Prince Charlie (Andrew Gower) from journeying to Scotland in an attempt to regain the throne. As part of their plotting, they hosted a dinner party and invited some crucial guests including Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Duke of Sandringham (Simon Callow), and various French nobles including the Comte St. Germain (Stanley Weber) and his wife the Comtesse St. Germain (Gaia Weiss). However, it appears that author Gabaldon completely overlooked the Comtesse, as previously disclosed in the official Outlander podcast, reports the Scottish Daily Express . Screenwriter and producer Toni Graphia stated: "The Comte St Germain shows up and he's a surprise guest and that woman - that is his wife. The Comte St Germain was a secret time traveller (Image: STARZ) "I had a really great time watching the [fans] when we released the photos of the dinner party, long before the season started, all the fans trying to guess who is this woman at the dinner table? Who is she?" "The answer they'll find out in this episode [La Dame Blanche] was that she was the Comte's wife." Graphia revealed, "Which is something that Diana had in the book [Dragonfly In Amber] that was only one sentence. Diana herself actually forgot it." She recounted a humorous exchange with the author: "So when I wrote in the script that the Comte brings his wife, Diana actually sent a note that said, 'The Comte doesn't have a wife.' I said, 'Actually, he does. It's in the book. You wrote it!'". "And she laughed and said, 'Oh my gosh, I forgot it! I forgot that he had a wife that I wrote that.'". Claire and the Comte St Germain were enemies in Outlander (Image: STARZ) Graphia added, "Which is understandable considering how gigantic the books are and how many she's written and how long ago she wrote it." She further explained, "But he did have a wife and we were like, 'Perfect, we'll put her in the dinner party' and everyone was trying to figure out for the longest time who she was." In Gabaldon's novels, the Comte is unveiled as another time traveller with connections to Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon), both aware of their unique abilities. The future of the Comte on the show is uncertain, but in the books, he's intertwined with Fergus Fraser's (César Domboy) narrative, hinting that the young man might be his son and heir to a substantial fortune and estate. The Comte St Germain and his wife attended the dinner party in Outlander (Image: STARZ) Gabaldon is currently working on her next book, the yet-to-be-named 10th installment of the Outlander series, which is anticipated to conclude the sprawling tale. However, fans shouldn't hold their breath for the novel's release before the eighth season premieres and concludes the television adaptation. However, the creators of the Starz adaptation have already made it clear that the TV version will deviate from the original books. The grand finale of the Outlander series is anticipated to conclude Jamie and Claire's sweeping saga differently than the novels, with fans eagerly awaiting answers about Jamie's ghost, a mystery that has been lingering since the show's debut episode. Outlander season 7 is available to buy now on Digital and is streaming on MGM+ via Prime Video now
