Strathpeffer Features

Attribution: unknown (The ruin of Free Church in Jamestown)

Strathpeffer Station

At the end of 2016 Strathpeffer’s former railway station received a much-needed facelift and the results were revealed to the public early in January 2017.

William Gray Ltd refurbished and made safe the platform canopy through new timber and glazing, repaired drainage pipes and repainting.

A local group, led by Susan Kruze of ARCH, in a year-long project, researched the history of the station and, through facts and images from the Highland Archive Centre and the Highland Railway Society, plus people’s recollections, produced new interpretation panels which are situated on the exterior of the station building. In addition, the group has produced a leaflet, an online blog, and there is a folder with all the research material on view in the Highland Museum of Childhood.

The station platform

Attribution: unknown

St John the Baptist well

Located on the lower slopes of Knockfarrel above Fodderty Cemetery. Wells such as these can be found throughout the Highlands and relate to Pagan times when well-worship was prevalent. On the arrival of the early Christians, there was a tendency not to antagonise the local population by discouraging well-worship, but instead dedicating certain wells to Saints, thus Holy Wells.

Originally, the water supposedly cured sickness and mental disorders, but recent analysis shows it to be beneficial for heart disease. The sites of the ancient chapels of Fodderty and Inchrory are in the vicinity.

St John the Baptist well

Attribution: unknown

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Strathpeffer » Strathpeffer History
Strathpeffer as a spa village
Strathpeffer as a spa village
Strathpeffer as a spa village, with pumproom in the foreground, the Square on the right and the spire of the Free Church of Scotland in the background. [Photo RCHS]
Raven's Rock
Raven's Rock
Jjust before the railway would pass through Raven's Rock.
Strathpeffer station building
Strathpeffer station building
Strathpeffer station building, restored from a dilapidated state in 1986.
The Square, Strathpeffer
The Square, Strathpeffer
"The Strathie" at Strathpeffer Station
"The Strathie" at Strathpeffer Station
"The Strathie" at Strathpeffer Station. [Photo courtesy of The Highland Railway Society]
Strathpeffer Station - coal yard
Strathpeffer Station - coal yard
The station when used as a coal yard c.1950s. [Photo courtesy of the Highland Museum of Childhood.]
The Station, functioning
The Station, functioning
Later version of the "Strathie" taken at Dingwall Station
Later version of the "Strathie" taken at Dingwall Station
Photo [courtesy of the F W Urquhart collection] of a later version of the "Strathie" taken at Dingwall Station. In 1897 the Highland Railway Company ran five trains a day on the branch line from Dingwall to Strathpeffer [see Strathpeffer/Environment/The Peffery Way]. The first train, at 7.40 am, was a mixed/mail passenger train. The journey took ten minutes. As the train has been decorated, could this be to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1897?
Strathie196ac.jpg
Strathie196ac.jpg
"The Strathie" at Strathpeffer Station but from photograph acquired by RCHS, now gifted to The Pump Room.
Spa buildings
Spa buildings
Another photograph of the Spa buildings (source unknown). Is this before the Highland Hotel was built?
Strathpeffer Station in 1937
Strathpeffer Station in 1937
Newspaper photograph (source unknown) showing Station in 1937 with goods train.
Achterneed station
Achterneed station

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