Venlaw facts for kids
| Castle Venlaw Hotel | |
Quick facts for kids  Castle Venlaw Hotel |
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| Hotel facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | Edinburgh Road Peebles, Scotland EH45 8QG |
| Opening date | 1949 |
| No. of restaurants | 1 |
| No. of rooms | 12 |
| of which suites | 2 |
Venlaw Castle, also known as Smithfield Castle, is a cool old building located north of Peebles in the Borders area of Scotland. It's on the Edinburgh Road. Since 1949, this historic castle has been used as a hotel. In 1971, it was officially recognized as a very important historic building, called a Category A listed building.
The Story of Venlaw Castle
How Venlaw Castle Began
Long ago, in the 1300s, there was a fort on this spot. It was built by the Hay family and was called Smithfield Castle. This old fort was later destroyed in the 1700s.
The castle you see today was built in 1782. It was made for Alexander Stevenson, who was a local judge in Peebleshire. The building is a great example of Scottish Baronial architecture, which is a style that looks like old castles with towers and fancy details. It sits on about 4 acres of beautiful gardens.
The castle stayed with the Stevenson family for a while. Then, in 1790, the Grant family bought it. After that, the Erskine family took over in 1798. Later, in 1862, a famous navy officer named Sir James Elphinstone Erskine made it his home. After him, a retired tea planter named Richard Davidson owned it, and then a lady named Miss Walton bought it in 1946.
From Home to Hotel: Venlaw Castle's New Life
In 1948, new owners, Alexander Cumming and his wife Jean Brownlee, had a big idea. They wanted to turn the castle into a hotel. However, there was a special "development tax" they had to pay for changing a private house into a business.
Mr. Cumming thought this tax was unfair, so he fought against it. He actually won! The tax was removed, and his success is even written down in a special record called Hansard, which keeps track of what happens in the British Parliament.
Thanks to his efforts, Venlaw Castle Hotel opened its doors in 1949. The Cumming family owned and ran the hotel until November 1997. That's when John and Shirley Sloggie bought it and changed its name to Castle Venlaw Hotel.
Later, in September 2007, a company called PAG Hotels Ltd bought the hotel. But in July 2010, that company had financial problems. Finally, in November 2011, a private couple bought the hotel and continues its story today.
