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The Lake Hotel - Port of Menteith, Perthshire (Pvt)

The Lake of Menteith is the only natural body of water in Scotland to be called a lake (the remainder being lochs). The title is late Victorian, prior to that it was called the Loch of Inchmahome. It is thought that it was called a lake through a mistake in translation when a map was being updated. 

The Port of Menteith is in the heart of the ancient Earldom of Menteith, and of the powerful Graham clan. The house has views across the lake to the Inchmahome Priory, a small Augustinian Priory founded by Walter Comyn, earl of Menteith in around 1238.

The Parish church, 1876, designed by the Glasgow architect John Honeyman is buttressed gothic, with a stone pyramid on top. The Mausoleum to the Grahams of Gartmore, designed by William Stirling in 1817, is a stone pedimented rectangle set on a battered stone plinth. 

The heart of the hotel was the former manse, possibly very late 18th century. The hotel dates from 1854.  From 1874 to 1879 William Mitchell as the Port of Menteith Inn and offices tenanted it. He paid a yearly rent of £48.00.

Mrs Dalrymple purchased the hotel from the Duke of Montrose in 1936, it was sold as a part of his estate to help pay for death duties. At the time the hotel had been rented by the McGregor family and their lease expired in November 1936. Lighting was by oil lamps, there was no electricity and there was only one bathroom, which was upstairs.  

A firm of architects from Glasgow was appointed to draw up plans to improve the building. The plans were passed by the licensing court at Dunblane on the condition that the hotel was kept open to provide accommodation for a one night stay and a room for meals for travellers. The bar was to remain open between the hours of 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 9pm daily and all day Sunday.

Electricity was installed and a washbasin plumbed into every room. A pump was placed to supply water from the lake. The china was delivered from England in a crate weighing one ton by lorry from Aberfoyle station.

The stable buildings up beside the road were made to accommodate cars and a petrol pump was installed.

During the Second World War the military commandeered two rooms in the hotel, these were made into offices. The Ministry of Defence closed the road between the hotel and Amprior and only persons with permits were allowed through because the area was used as an ammunition dump. There were WD boats on the lake to take ammunition to the island. The petrol pump was also commandeered.

The hotel was sold by the Dalrymple family in 1950 to Mr. Nisbet. Mr. Leroy bought the Lake Hotel in 1989 from Mr. Nisbet and it once again was completely refurbished, reflecting the art deco style from the major work carried out in 1936. The conservatory restaurant was added during this refurbishment. The hotel was sold to the McConnachie family in May 1999 who have started the refurbishment programme once again.

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