Midmar & History of the Inn
We would welcome contributions from anyone with knowledge, ancient or recent, of the history of Midmar and its community, and we thank those who have contributed so far.
The Midmar Inn with the 'Hill of Fare' in the background
The Midmar Inn – A Meeting Place in a Landscape Full of History
The Midmar Inn is an important hub of the community and a part of local history: it has been an established “watering hole” since before the turn of the last century. Lying 20 miles west of Aberdeen, the area of Midmar has long attracted many admirers. Standing stones at the Midmar Church and Sunhoney bear witness to settlements of the past, and Timothy Pont’s mid-16th century map records an established hamlet with places such as Midmar Church, Midmar Castle, Sunhoney and Mill of Hole all illustrated.
The Midmar Inn nestles at the centre of Midmar. Formed from a classic end-of-18th century Scottish farmhouse, originally part of the Castle estate, it is cradled by the Hill of Fare which rises steeply behind and other surrounding hills. Standing in this enchanting setting, a delightful scene greets the eye throughout the year. From the garden, the view is framed by the ancient beech and larch which line the old drovers’ road and the turrets of the historic Castle can be glimpsed through the trees. In every season the view brings its own beauty with the fresh greens of spring and summer transforming to the glowing purples and golds of autumn. In winter it becomes a fairyland of silver lit by the sun’s low rays. The clarity of the beautiful open night skies have attracted astronomers for many years.
This setting provides a perfect habitat for an abundance of wildlife including deer, badgers, foxes, hares, red squirrel, stoats and weasels, as well as a great variety of birds. Herons are frequent visitors to the Gormack Burn that runs through Midmar, past the old church, alongside the old road and by Mill of Hole, onwards through Drumoak to the North Sea at Aberdeen. Buzzards and various other birds of prey, woodpeckers, and rooks from the ancient rookery, together with cuckoo and swallows at certain times of the year, can habitually be heard.
The Midmar Inn building has been a focal point for the community for over a hundred years. It is understood the original farm opened a store in the late 19th century and, by supplying the local area, it became a major meeting place. Drovers regularly spent the night there on route to market in the south, primarily via the Slug Road to Stonehaven.
In 1938, the Smiths owned the building and, whilst maintaining the farm, ran a licensed grocery business from the premises that served the surrounding area. It became known as a ‘porter and ale’ place until they received a public house licence in 1945. Since then, and until the mid-1980s known as the Cottage Bar, the pub has had a number of landlords, many of whom still reside in the Midmar area having enjoyed the friendly and welcoming neighbourhood and the beautiful surroundings. Today, Midmar is a thriving, prosperous and expanding community that continues to both support existing residents and attract newcomers to the area, ensuring Midmar will retain its historic links to its past whilst embracing the opportunities and expectations of the future.
Winter Sun (view to the south) Midmar Night Sky
Drovers
The drovers were local men. In May, they would start to visit farms, bargaining for cattle often only one or two at a time, since many of the highland farming tenants were very poor. Gradually, they would have a herd they could gather as summer advanced and drive south. The herds would be at least 100 strong, often larger and up to 2,000 strong. Ahead of them lay a long and dangerous journey. Rivers in flood might have to be crossed; journeys must be made over trackless mountains, sometimes in thick mist where a drover might easily loose his way; or well armed "rievers" might try to steal cattle.
A drover's day was a long one. At about 8.00 am they would rise and make a simple breakfast of oats, either boiled to make porridge or cold and uncooked mixed with a little water. The whole might be washed down with whisky. Oats, whisky, and perhaps some onions were their basic diet. Occasionally, they might draw blood from some cattle and mix it with oatmeal to make "black pudding."
The herd would move off on a broad front of several strings of cattle, moving perhaps 16-20 km or less a day. It is misleading in fact to speak of a drove "road." The cattle had to be managed skillfully to avoid wearing them down or damaging their hooves, and the drover had to know where he could obtain enough grazing along the way. At days end, the cattle might stop near a rough inn where some shelter could be obtained, or perhaps the drovers had to sleep out on the open hill in all weathers with only their tartan, woven cloth, called their plaid, to protect them. At night someone always had to guard the herd to prevent cattle straying or rievers stealing them.
It was a hard and, at times, dangerous life, but the Highlanders, with their warlike, rieving past, and hardy upbringing were well suited to it. The rievers of one century in fact transformed into the legitimate drovers of another. The practice common in many mountain areas of moving livestock and people to higher areas during the summer to take advantage of high pastures, a form of what is called transhumance, was widespread in the Highlands. This practice too, developed some of the skills needed in successful droving.
Midmar Castle
Exactly when and by whom Midmar Castle was built is not known but it is thought to be the first of the five great castles of Marr. These were built by the ancestors of a very remarkable school of local granite-masons, the Midmar school, which sprang up here in the late sixteenth century. Within an area no more than fifteen miles across, they built a group of masterpieces, Crathes, Fraser, Cluny, Craigievar and Midmar, castles unrivalled for their splendour and character in Scotland. Crathes, Fraser and Craigievar are now all owned by the National Trust and open to the public. Cluny Castle has been extensively replaced by more modern building and there is little to see of the original castle. Midmar remains the only one of the principal castle of the Marr still in private hands.