Tayside History

Stanley, the Mill and The Tayside

At the turn of the 18th Century a small hamlet just north of Perth was named Stanley after the Marchioness of Atholl, Lady Sophia Stanley Marchioness of Atholl. After the Battle of Culloden her fourth son, Lord Nairne, unsuccessfully took refuge in Stanley House and was exiled to France. Having been captured and incarcerated in the Tower of London his lands were forfeit and subsequently auctioned passing on to The Duke of Atholl. The lands remain in his family to this day.

Stanley village was originally a cluster of clachans (small villages) along the River Tay alongside a drovers road linking the North of Perth to the rich and fertile lands of the Strathmore Valley.

The Tayside Hotel was originally a Coaching Inn, built in 1898 and positioned to attract the traffic of the Stanley Cotton Mills erected in 1785. Mill Street was then the main thoroughfare through the village.

In its (brief?) history the Tayside served as a hostel for the women working at the Stanley Mills and even today it is still affectionately called “The Hen House”. So worried were the local Constabulary about the effect so many women would have on the local populace that the Village Police Officer carried out a check of the building every night to make sure all the doors and windows were securely locked!

The Stanley Mills were originally corn mills built in 1729 to harness the raging torrents from the mighty River Tay. The bend in the river below the Campsie Linn gave the engineers a natural vent point to channel the water through a series of tunnels to drive the Mills.

In 1786 the first cotton mill was developed alongside the corn mill. The mills however have a chequered history and were not fully operational until 1989. A hydro-electric turbine is now driven by the river with the mills having been conserved by Historic Scotland and the Phoenix Trust (part of The Princes Trust, the charity of HRH The Prince of Wales).

Two thirds of the mills have been converted to apartments and town houses with the remaining third being re-built to its operational format. A working visitor centre is due to open in April 2008 to both the public and schools for educational visits.

Stanley survives today as a thriving village surrounded by a farming heartland. Its close proximity to the A9 and Perth makes it an ideal commuter spot and it is forever popular with salmon fishers and sportsmen or golfers looking to relax and share a story or two after a hard day at play.

The Tayside Hotel continues to be very much an integral part of the village community and attracts visitors from both near and far.