Fearnan Village Association

It’s always fascinating to find out about life in Fearnan in the past and, if we turned the clock back to the first half of the 20^th century, we would find not just a hotel, but a shop, a post office, petrol pumps and……….. a bus! All on the one site at the Tigh an Loan Hotel.

The hotel bus, like the hotel itself, belonged to John Stewart. It not only served the hotel, but was also used to make deliveries from the shop to the surrounding area, including Glen Lyon. It was a 15-seater Albion bus, registration ES 5150, which doubled as the village hearse when the need arose.

The bus is pictured here with John Stewart (with moustache). The basket on top will be the hotel laundry, ready to go to Fisher’s Laundry in Aberfeldy. If you look closely, you can see part of one of the old petrol pumps on the left at the back of the picture.

John Stewart did not drive the bus himself but his daughters, Dolly and Mia, regularly took the controls. Thursday was the delivery day for Glen Lyon, but it was also the day for cleaning the hotel silver and Dolly would give instructions for this before setting off with the deliveries. The member of staff responsible for cleaning the silver would relate how she polished away with one ear cocked for the distinctive sound of the bus returning down the brae – by which time she was expected to have completed her task.

This particular bus was first registered in 1922 and although we don’t know how long it remained in Fearnan, we do know what happened to it. It became a TV and film star, appearing in episodes of the BBC’s first series of Dr Finlay’s Casebook in the fictional town of Tannoch Brae, and in two films – ‘Regeneration’ and ‘The Happy Lands’! It is now known as The Pride of Tannoch Brae and is held in the collection of the Biggar Albion Foundation. It can be seen here.

The hotel continued to run a bus for many years, and to deliver to Glen Lyon. A different bus is pictured below in Glen Lyon, with one of the natural road hazards. The same bus is also pictured with Angus McInnes who we think was one of the drivers of the bus.

The year that John Stewart bought his first bus, ES 5150, was also the year that he ceased to be a tenant hotelier and bought the hotel from the Breadalbane Estate.

This was 1922, the year the third Marquis of Breadalbane died with no heirs and the vast estate of some half million acres started to be broken up to cover debts and death duties (thereby fulfilling one of the prophesies of the Lady of Lawers).

The significance of this for Fearnan was that many people in the village were also able to become owner-occupiers instead of tenants. The village was sold as a single entity and an intermediary, Henry James Kennaway of Auchterarder, travelled to Edinburgh for the sale. After this, the individual tenants in the village were able to purchase their own crofts from the intermediary, the price being £55 per croft. The agreement included the same grazing rights on the Cow Park (one cow per croft) and access to a well for water (there were three in the village). However, salmon fishing rights on the loch were lost at this time.

(Many thanks to Alastair Barnett who’s curiosity led him to trace the bus to its present location and to Shenac Kelloe for the photographs and family memories.)

Returning to the present day, the Coffee Morning on the 20^th October was attended by a relatively small but highly sociable group. The sun at least shone for this event, but the Remembrance Service at the War Memorial on Sunday 8^th November took place in driving rain. However, it was well attended by warmly wrapped-up members of the community and soup was served in the village hall after the service.

Our next event is the annual Mulled Wine and Mince Pies which is on Saturday 5th December at 3.30pm in the village hall, cost £5.00. A donation from the proceeds will be made to village hall funds.

On Friday 13th November, friends and family gathered to say farewell to Laurie Lane who died on the 2^nd November.

Laurie was laid to rest in a lovely spot overlooking the countryside in Hillhead Cemetery Logierait, after which we travelled back to Fearnan for tea in the village hall.  Laurie was a member of the FVA Committee and served as Treasurer for many years, helping to ensure the smooth-running of the Association.  Laurie will be much missed by the village for many reasons, but his knowledge of coffee and his particular talent for making the best and freshest coffee and tea will be noticeably missed at all our future events.

Last Sunday, the prosecco was chilled, the glasses polished and the afternoon teas laid  out, as the residents of Fearnan (past and present) gathered to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Village Hall.  The Hall itself was looking pretty good for a 60 year-old, and the Art Club had mounted some special displays for the occasion.

There was a warm and friendly atmosphere as people caught up with old friends and neighbours, looked at the displays and, of course, enjoyed their afternoon tea.

There was a birthday cake, naturally………..

………which was cut by Lois Duncan Millar who holds the distinction of being one of the few people present at both the opening in 1955 and the celebration tea in 2015.

There was also a birthday present in the form of a William Gillies print, presented by the Art Club to the Hall (there is a connection to Fearnan, as Gillies spent some time in the area).

All in all, a great occasion, and many thanks to all those who worked hard to make it happen.

This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday, and there will be a short service at the War Memorial starting just before 11.00. We shall be running a shuttle service from the Hall car park to the Memorial, so if you would like a lift down the hill, please come to the car park by 10.45am. Lifts back UP the hill will also be available! After the service, the FVA will be serving soup, teas and coffees in the Hall.

After this, the next event is the annual Mulled Wine and Mince Pies on Saturday 5th December at 3.30pm in the Hall.

Next year’s Pudding Night is on Saturday 20th February at 6.30pm.

We’ve had another response to the article on the Mclean Hall, this time from Alex McEwen:

Congratulations on your 60th Anniversary. I remember the day 60 years ago when I had to present the flowers to (???) after the opening ceremony. My father was hall keeper for the first 25 years and my brother and I used to help clean the hall after events. I recognise many of the people in the photo, both my grandfathers( Bill Deuchar and Alex McEwen). My auntie and uncle Christine and Josef Hapka , Jim Fleming (worked Ben Lawers farm), George Ballingall (Auchtar), Jack Fisher (Cauldermore), David Campbell (Balnearn) , Elizabeth and Janet Robertson from Lawers and all the others identified by Alistair Barnett.
Enjoy your day
Alex McEwen (ex Lawers View)

Many thanks, Alex! You made the presentation to Mrs Duffus – and here you are doing it!

The photo is on the wall in the Hall, but I think I’m spotting a name check that needs to be corrected!

We have received this great response to the recent post on the 60th Anniversary of the McLean Hall.  It is from Alastair Barnett in British Columbia – regular readers of this blog will remember the article he wrote on his childhood as a wartime evacuee in Fearnan.

Alastair wrote:

“This interesting and meticulously researched post certainly enhanced my Sunday morning. Not only did I find the details of the hall’s inception absorbing but the photos of some of my old neighbors, school friends and acquaintances touched me profoundly: Childhood friend and mentor Chrissie Brace, (nee Butters) from Springbank Cottage, “Dolly” Stewart from the hotel, John McLean (known affectionately as” Johnny”) the Grindley children, Catherine McDougall, schoolteacher Miss Maynard, Andy Dot, and I’m certain I recognize a schoolmate Billy Ross — so many memories.

One lady I identify in the audience was an accomplished whist player. When a progressive Whist Drive was held in the school, she fairly bristled when I became her partner for a brief period as we moved from table to table. Who could blame the dear lady? I was twelve and quite useless at card games; and she intensely disliked losing. I never discovered why I was made to participate.

Thank you for posting this informative article and congratulations to everyone involved in the success and preservation of the hall. Best wishes on your anniversary celebrations.

Incidentally I believe I’m correct in saying Mrs. Hodgeson is the lady in the center of the photo next to “Dolly” Stewart.

PS: I found Aneka’s recording of Japanese Boy on YouTube. The melody lodged itself firmly in my brain and I’ve been compulsively humming it all morning. (And I’m sending it out to friends here in BC.)”

Many thanks, Alastair, and Mrs Hodgson is now correctly identified in the photo.

For seventy years now, the McLean Hall has been at the centre of Fearnan’s social life and its leisure activities. The availability of a communal space has allowed groups such as the Bowling Club, the Art Club and the Book Club to flourish and residents have been able to enjoy activities, including country dancing, badminton, line dancing and more recently Tai Chi and yoga, literally on their doorstep. It has hosted dances, ceilidhs, coffee mornings, weddings and wakes – and let’s not forget the annual Pancake Pop-Up, the BBQs and the suppers.

Unlike many other village halls, the McLean Hall was not sponsored by a benefactor or gifted by a local landowner, and the fact that it exists at all was down to the considerable efforts of those who lived in the village some 70 years ago.

Although the Hall first opened in 1955, fundraising had started many years before, with the first recorded donation being £6 invested by the WRI for the proposed Fearnan Hall in 1931. The WRI also gifted crockery and utensils with the proviso that if the Hall did not materialise, the items were to be sold and the proceeds, along with the £6 donation, were to be divided equally between Perth Infirmary and Aberfeldy Cottage Hospital.

The idea of a village hall had gained momentum over the years, and grew out of the strong feeling that the residents of Fearnan were considerably disadvantaged by the lack of an adequate communal space. A Hall Fundraising Committee was convened in the late 1930’s, with Mrs Hodgson being the President and John McLean appointed as Secretary and Treasurer.

Prior to WWII, the Secretary of State for Scotland had powers to aid the establishment of community centres, village halls, playing fields and other facilities for recreational purposes. Rural communities with less than 4,000 residents were able to apply to the Village Hall Scheme, administered by the National Council of Social Services (later to become SCVO), for financial assistance. The assistance came in the form of grants from the Carnegie UK Trust, and interest-free loans from the Treasury.

The outbreak of war affected plans for a hall, and fundraising priorities changed. The village did, however, raise funds under the banner ‘Save the Brave’ for the war effort and at the end of the War, with the money no longer required for its original purpose, it was agreed that the surplus should be added to the village hall funds.

A suitable site for the hall was critical. At that time, much of the land around Fearnan was owned by the Forestry Commission and, following representations made by the Village Hall Fundraising Committee in 1945, the Commission agreed to gift land for a hall, although it was not until 1952 that the final site was agreed. In the meantime, the Carnegie grants had come to an end and although some government assistance continued for a while, by 1949 this also had ceased because of the post-war scarcity of building materials and village halls were not considered a priority in the face of this shortage.

Happily, in 1953, things suddenly started to move more quickly. First of all, the Village Hall Scheme was re-introduced, but on condition that the recipients could find their own labour and materials and raise a proportion of the capital costs. The National Council of Social Service would provide successful applicants with advice on plans, and a capital grant of up to three-quarters of the cost of a centre.

In October 1953, the news came that Fearnan had been allocated funding under the revised Village Hall Scheme! The Agreement with the National Council of Social Service states that the Hall would be built and then made available to the Trustees of Fearnan Village Hall for a rent of £6 10/- payable twice a year in November and May. After ten years, there would be an option to purchase the hall.

In November, Perth & Kinross County Council granted planning permission and the building company, Messers Duff, was appointed.

The first two Trustees for Fearnan Village Hall, Alastair Duncan Millar (County Councillor) and the Reverend Kenneth McVicar, Minister at Kenmore Church, signed the formal Deed of Trust in May 1954.

The opening of Fearnan Hall was celebrated on the 4^th November 1955 and by this point the Hall Fundraising Committee had raised an impressive £1600 towards the cost of the hall – to put this in context, that is the equivalent of over £50,000 today! In addition, the Committee had some £500 (£16,000 today) for decoration, furniture, a piano, tea making equipment, fencing and legal fees etc.

At a meeting the following week, the Steering Committee stood down and the new Hall Committee was appointed, with John McLean in the Chair.

And so the Hall, then known as the Fearnan Hall, assumed its important role in the life of the village. It was soon hosting whist drives, summer fêtes, and dances, with dance bands being brought over from Dundee. Social and recreational groups were offered a free initial meeting to help form clubs and groups.

One of the regular users was the Kenmore Branch of An Comunn Gaichealach, particularly following the closure of the Holder Hall, Kenmore, in the early 1960’s. From that point, Fearnan Hall became the regular venue for the Branch’s Ceilidhs. A very memorable occasion occurred in 1966, when Mary Sandeman, who lived on the south side of Loch Tay, won the Mod Gold Medal. The celebrations started with dinner at the Tigh an Loan Hotel then processed up the hill to the Hall, following the pipes.

Mary Sandeman was carried round the Hall to great cheers and then the Ceilidh started. A packed house of 250 people had a marvellous evening’s entertainment to be long remembered.

(Followers of the 1980’s pop charts will remember Mary Sandeman as ‘Aneka’ who had a hit in 1981 with ‘Japanese Boy’, before returning to her Scottish folk roots where she continued to perform under her own name.)

The Hall’s original Feu Charter had a clause forbidding the sale or consumption of alcohol in the Hall and this stood until the 34^th AGM in 1989. At this point, the Rev McVicar cautioned the Committee to be “stringent and sparing” over the use of the licence! Another change is that dances no longer include “Ankle Competitions” for the ladies or even Fancy Socks Competitions for the men, as they did in 1958!

In spring 1963, in line with the original agreement, the Scottish Council of Social Services offered the Hall Committee terms for the purchase of Fearnan Hall. The Trustees advised the Committee to request a valuation of the Hall and also to ask if a continuation of the rental agreement was also a possibility.

The valuation was duly done and the Hall was offered to the Committee at 40% of the figure with an option to pay over 5 or 8 years. It was decided to pay £154 initially and to pay the balance over 5 years – although in the event, the debt was cleared in 3 years.

The Hall now belonged to Fearnan! The two trustees hold it in trust for the people of Fearnan, while the Hall Committee is responsible for the running and maintenance of the Hall and for ensuring that there are sufficient funds to cover the costs.

In the late 1990’s the Hall was renamed and is now known as The McLean Hall, Fearnan, in recognition of the enormous contribution made by John McLean both in raising funds and negotiating the establishment of the Hall.

John had died in April 1986, and the following month the John McLean Memorial Fund was established and realised a sum of £686. The Hall Committee determined to use the money to build an adventure playground on the land adjacent to the Hall in John’s memory and, with the help of the District Council, Army Cadets were brought in to construct ‘Fort Fearnan’ in July 1989. The Cadets slept in the Hall during the 2-week period of construction. A garden seat was also donated in John’s memory, which now sits at the entrance of the Hall.

So for about 6 years, Fort Fearnan stood as a memorial to John McLean, but by April 1995, it was found to be in a dangerous state, the wood not having been properly treated when it was built. The Fort was dismantled and although recompense was sought from the District Council, the Committee eventually had to settle for the installation of the children’s Swing Park, rather than a rebuild of the Fort.

This meant that there was now no proper memorial to the driving force behind the Hall and, in April 1999, committee member Elizabeth McDiarmid suggested that a plaque be mounted in the Hall to commemorate John McLean without whom there would be no hall. This led to the decision later in the year that Fearnan Hall be renamed The McLean Hall, Fearnan.

There can be no doubt at all that the Hall is a valuable asset to the village. Those of us who benefit now from the social links that it helps to form and maintain have good reason to be grateful to our predecessors for their foresight, vision and commitment. Some sixty years later, it is the Hall alone that remains to serve the village, the hotel, the school, the shop and Post Office all having closed.

Recently, the Hall underwent a major refurbishment that will ensure that it remains fit for purpose and can continue to contribute to village life for generations to come by bringing the community together – and this is amply demonstrated by the photos below.

Recently, the Hall celebrated its 70th Anniversary at an event much enjoyed by present day residents.

Last Saturday, just for a change, the FVA held a Soup and Savoury event at lunchtime, in place of the usual midweek Coffee Morning.

As expected, it drew a slightly different crowd from normal, with families and those who work during the week being able to attend.  It was also good to see Mary and Mairi back in circulation.

This November will be the 60th Anniversary of the opening of the village hall and, as part of the celebrations, the Art Club is planning an exhibition of photos and paintings of Fearnan and village life over the past 60 years. They are particularly interested in pictures that include the hall itself.  If you have any suitable images, please get in touch with Jo Millar at Jo.Miller@digitmail.co.uk

The Book Club is reading “The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of Bed and Disappeared” by Jonas Jonasson, described as an  “imaginative, laugh-out-loud bestseller” by The Telegraph. The next meeting of the Club is on Wednesday 14th October at 7pm.

In October, we’re back with a Coffee Morning in its regular slot – that’s Tuesday 20th October at 10.30am in the hall.

With summer holidays becoming a distant memory, the autumn brings a number of local events for your diary.

In September, instead of a coffee morning, we’re hosting a Saturday morning get-together at 11.30am on the 19th September in the village hall.  It’s a Soup n’ Roll event – so we’ll be offering a delicious bowl of home made soup, a filled roll, and tea or coffee, all for £3.50.

On 20th October, there’s a regular Coffee Morning at 10.30am, so do join us for home baking and fresh tea and coffee. The next month, there’s a short Remembrance Day service at the War Memorial at 11.00 on Sunday 8th November, after which everyone is invited to the Hall where soup and rolls will be available.

The Art Club starts again on Monday 7th September, and the Book Club meets on Tuesday 15th September at 7pm. This month, they are reading “Elizabeth is Missing” by Emma Healey in tribute to the late Elizabeth McLaren.  Elizabeth regularly attended the Book Club meetings and thoroughly enjoyed the chat – which, rumour has it, does not always focus entirely on the contents of the latest book!

This year, the Thrift Shop effort raised an incredible £1624.66 for Hall funds – the best for some time.  The Hall Committee sends a very big thank you to everyone who contributed goods and baking, and especially to those who gave their time to serve in the shop.

Last Saturday, it maybe didn’t feel like summer on the outside, but inside the village hall it was summer all the way with the annual Strawberry Tea extravaganza. From strawberry sandwiches (yes, really), to strawberry fairy cakes and strawberry meringues, through to strawberry torte and strawberries and cream, it was all there for the eating.

Doug and Hilary provided some first class live music – all the more impressive as they were literally on their way home from Skye and probably felt more like putting their feet up with a nice cup of tea and a large slice of strawberry cake! Many thanks to all those who who helped with the preparation, the baking, the setting up, and finally the clearing up.  More pics below:

This year, the village hall has the Thrift Shop from 9th – 15th August. This is the Hall’s main fundraiser for the year, and all items and offers of help will be gratefully received. If you have any good quality clothing or bric-a-brac to donate, then please take it to the Thrift Shop during this week. If you have items to uplift or suitable prizes for the tombola, please contact Karen on 830548.

And if you can contribute to the Home Baking and Produce Stall on Friday 14th, please contact Elaine on 830682. Elaine would also be pleased to hear from you if you can volunteer for a few hours during the week.

The next Book Club meeting will be on Tuesday 18th August and the book of the month is Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mocking Bird”.

And finally, as an alternative to a Coffee Morning, the FVA will be serving Soup and a Roll on Saturday 19th September in the village hall at 11.30am.

First of all, a reminder of a few dates:

The First Responders team will be giving training on the new defibrillator on June 24th at 8pm in the McLean Hall.

And the next Book Group meeting is Tuesday 14th July at 7pm.
They are reading a comedy classic this month- Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. In a slight change to the usual format, after the next meeting the group plan to watch it on DVD, and then compare their reactions to both the film and the book.

Last year’s strawberry spread.

Although it’s sometimes hard to believe, summer is here and with it comes the strawberry season.  If you think you could manage to force down a strawberry or two, then join us for the FVA’s Strawberry TeaS extravaganza on Saturday 18th July at 3pm. It’s a great way to celebrate summer, and everyone is welcome, so bring your visitors and do encourage any holiday makers in the village to come too.

The June Coffee Morning was well attended, and here are a few pics of some of the fabulous food and some of the lucky people who got to eat it all!

The month of May saw the first Saturday Coffee Morning hosted by the FVA and, happily, it coincided with the May Bank Holiday Weekend.  This set the scene for a busy and very sociable event with a wider range of people attending than normal.

Our Coffee Morning Regulars were delighted to be joined by some new faces (the Watsons and the Morrices), some familiar faces (Ian  McGregor) and even a very young face (Sophie).

As ever, there was a first-class selection of home baked cakes and biscuits, along with Sue’s pancakes straight off the griddle, and Julia’s savory goodies.There was a real buzz in the air, the chance to take part in a raffle in aid of the Nepal earthquake disaster, and an opportunity to suggest names for the Shoreside entry road.

Such was the success of the Saturday event that we will be repeating it.

Two Saturday events that are coming up are: Strawberry Teas on 18th July, and Soup N’Roll at 11.30 on 19th September.

This month, the Book Club are reading The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks.  Why not join in? They will be meeting on Tuesday 16th June at 7pm in the village hall.

For the music lovers amongst us, there’s a Song Recital and Workshop in the Big Shed on Sunday 28th June at 2pm. Pianist Jacco Lamfers has invited Dutch soprano Julia Bronkhorst to give a concert and workshop.  There’s more information  here:

Kathryn Ross, also of the Big Shed, has been in touch to say that, as Music Event Development Officer for The Big Shed, she has been researching how to bring affordable music events to the venue and local community. She’d like to form a group of people to help with organising and setting up music events at The Big Shed, and if you are interested, please get in touch at kathrynross@live.co.uk.

The next event for your diary is the June Coffee Morning – back to its normal Tuesday slot at 10.30am on 9th June.