Scotland's Dunkeld
The Little Town That Was Saved Just in Time

by Candace Leslie

It is early morning in Dunkeld. Several commuters have already headed off to work, driving down Cathedral Street, and crossing over the near-two-century-old Telford bridge. Several friends walk their dogs along the grassy bank of the River Tay. A young woman steps through her door and waters the brilliant flowers in her window box. Her neighbor, on the way to the grocer's, stops for a chat. All agree it is a very lovely morning, indeed.

At the end of the street, beyond an ornate wrought iron gate, stands the magnificent cathedral, part ruin, part living church. On this particular day the restored portion waits in quiet readiness for an afternoon wedding. In the roofless nave of the western limb, only the chattering of birds breaks the silence. High in the fifteenth-century tower, six bells hang motionless. Not until bride and groom become man and wife will the measured pulling of the ropes fill the town with joyous peals.

As neighbors and friends engage in the age-old pastime of morning greeting and "blether," one could easily believe that Dunkeld is just an ordinary town like so many in Perthshire. But even before all the laundry is hung out or all the shops have opened, tourists will begin pouring in. By the time the day is over, hundreds of cameras will have snapped just about everything that is not behind a wall or a closed door. The Information Center will have distributed several hundred brochures and the National Trust of Scotland shop can tally up a respectable amount of business. When visitors finally depart over the beautiful Telford bridge, more than one is likely to look back with a bit of envy for families gathering for their evening tea in the "little houses" of Dunkeld.

Situated in the region of Perthshire where Highlands and Lowlands meet, this lovely town at the foot of the hills beside the River Tay has not always been so blest as it is today. Its whole long history is a tale of highs and lows. As early as 700 AD, monks established a monastery here. A century and a half later, the bones of the great missionary, Columba, were brought from Iona to keep them safe from Viking raiders. The first King of Scots made Dunkeld head of the Celtic Church and capital of a new nation created by the union of the Scots and Picts. By the time of King David I, Dunkeld enjoyed a prestigious role as center of Scottish Christianity. The cathedral was built between the mid-fourteenth and the end of the fifteenth centuries. Until 1560, a bustling and prosperous ecclesiastical community surrounded the great church.

Then, with the arrival of the Reformation, everything changed. Over-zealous followers of the new Protestantism virtually destroyed the cathedral. Only the high walls, tower, and remnants of what must have been spectacular stone window tracery remained of an opulent past. In 1600, the choir section was reroofed and took on new life as a parish church. Peace returned to Dunkeld, but it was short-lived. On August 21, 1689, following the Jacobite victory at nearby Killiecrankie, the government sent a new regiment, the "Cameronians," to hold Dunkeld from the Highlanders. When the Jacobite force attacked and occupied the town's houses, the Cameronians burned the place to the ground. Little survived but the cathedral ruin and its adjoining church.

Almost two decades later, a slow rebuilding once again brought new life to Dunkeld. This time commerce rather than religion drew people back to the reawakening town. During the early 1700s, villagers moved into the rows of new white-washed "little houses" and trades flourished. Dunkeld's location at the meeting of cattle-droving roads brought bustling activity, but that, too, eventually declined. With no dependable ferry or bridge for crossing the River Tay, lack of transport hindered growth. Finally, in 1809, the innovative British engineer, Thomas Telford, built his magnificent arched span, but it came too late for Dunkeld's prosperity. By the time the bridge was completed, railway lines had been laid on the opposite side of the river, bestowing commercial benefits on the nearby town of Birnam. Dunkeld was no longer a crossroad place but a backwater on a downward slide.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Atholl family gradually acquired much of the region's properties. Responsible for most of the rebuilding following the 1689 battle, the Atholls maintained a long relationship with Dunkeld. The Second Duke of Atholl created and landscaped spacious Stanley Hill, now a public park. The Sixth Duke brought piped water to the village. His wife started a successful girls' school. The Eighth Duke of Atholl became the first President of the National Trust of Scotland, the organization that would one day bring a renaissance to the crumbling treasures of Dunkeld.

By the middle of the 20th Century, Dunkeld's "little houses" stood as near-derelict ghosts of their former selves. Two world wars and a changing economy had fostered a slowly accelerating decay. The final death knell was tolling for the once charming, now long-neglected buildings. The only options seemed to be to knock them down and create an open approach to the cathedral or replace them with more modern structures. In 1954, the Atholl Estates gave the "little houses" and a number of other Dunkeld properties to the National Trust of Scotland (NTS).

Like tossing a lifeline to drowning sailors, the National Trust set about saving the "little houses" of Dunkeld. For 15 years, the Trust worked in collaboration with the Perth County Council to restore the architectural treasures. Through an unprecedented scheme, the NTS became restorer, caretaker, and landlord. The reborn residences were not to be museum pieces but the heart of a living community. While remaining committed to the historic integrity of the dwellings, the Trust and Council set about making them liveable and lovely again. After the work had begun, an ongoing Little Houses Improvement Scheme (LHIS) was also set up to promote conservation of other neglected but equally important buildings throughout Scotland. These are restored to high standards and then sold under the protection of a Conservation Agreement. Profits from sales go toward purchase and restoration of further properties.

"Dunkeld shows how a town can change and keep its identity at the same time," explains Gillian Kelly, on-site Property Manager for the National Trust of Scotland. Today's visitors to Dunkeld delight in the results of all these amazing achievements. Although the privacy of the tenants of the "little houses" remains protected behind closed doors, to walk High and Cathedral Streets is like stepping into a painting of an early Scottish village. An ornate fountain, memorial to the 6th Duke of Atholl, has replaced the earlier market cross that once looked down on bustling commerce. But visitors and townspeople still meet and greet in the inviting open space at whose head stands the impressive 1753 "Ell House," an imposing whitewashed building that derives its name from the "ell," a weaver's measure, imbedded in its outer wall. Founded as a hospital by the Bishop of Dunkeld, the Ell House now serves as home to the National Trust of Scotland's popular shop.

Nearby, in another fine old building, the Dunkeld and Birnam Tourist Association dispenses information on sights and events of the entire region. Upstairs, the NTS presents continuous showings of "Welcome to Dunkeld," a beautiful film telling the story of the town with brief glimpses into the lives of its people.

The spirit of Dunkeld is best captured by strolling its modest streets, exploringthe park-like grounds and towering ruins of the cathedral, and visiting the curiously varied collections exhibited in the now-Parish Church and chapter house. Discreet plaques reveal bits of history and reminders of famous folk who once left their marks on the town. Gavin Douglas, the early Scottish poet, was consecrated Bishop of Dunkeld in the vicinity of 19 Cathedral Street in 1516. As a young child, Alexander MacKenzie resided at Number 9 Cathedral Street, long before emigrating to Canada and becoming that country's first Liberal Prime Minister. Dancing feet still keep time to the tunes of the noted 18th century fiddler, Niel Gow, born just across the river. His catchy gravestone, now placed in the cathedral for protection from the elements, reads,

"Time and Gow are even now,
Gow beat time and Time's beat Gow."

Memorials and tombs grace both the ruined and restored sections of the cathedral, from the simple grave of Lieutenant Colonel Cleland, victor of the Battle of Dunkeld to the elegantly draped, though damaged, effigy of Bishop Sinclair, friend of Robert the Bruce. Most spectacular is the medieval tomb of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, the notorious "Wolf of Badenoch." Fifteen years before his death in 1405, this renegade son of King Robert II wreaked tremendous havoc, including the destruction of Elgin Cathedral. Although his eventual public penance granted him a last resting place in this holy sanctuary, his reclining effigy is fully armored as if ready for one more round of ravaging,. Other interesting treasures include a weathered fragment of a Pictish cross slab known as the "Apostles' Stone," a marble tribute to the Black Watch, and various memorials to the Atholl family.

Equally appealing as its historic remembrances, today's "living" Dunkeld stands as proof of the rewards to be gleaned when preservation happens at its most creative. Old photographs show just how terrible was the condition of the "little houses" at their 20th-century worst. Today their geometric eight- and twelve-paned windows shine, their freshly-painted walls gleam in pale colors chosen for historical accuracy, their chimney pots look like new. Children's voices ring from back yards. Shops, gardens, restaurants, inns, pubs, and other new enterprises reflect a continuing progress that seems almost phoenix-like. Popular performer Dougie MacLean has chosen Dunkeld for his own "Real Music Bar." Here he often sings and plays, attracting fellow musicians and admirers from across the country and beyond. Instruments hang on the wall for any aspiring musician to take down and play at will. Niel Gow would fit right in.

There was a time, not so long ago, Gillian Kelly reminds, that the heart of community had succumbed to a "gently accelerating decay." Now Dunkeld has a heart once again. Yet there are no big chain stores, no theme parks. "It is totally exceptional," she believes,"like so much of Scotland, exceptional for what it is, not just for what it has."

Perhaps the days of highs and lows are over for good. As the wedding bells peal across the town from the cathedral tower, they ring out a message of new beginnings and promise, a message that surely belongs to Dunkeld.

IF YOU GO...

Dunkeld lies off the A9 between Perth and Inverness. Special happenings in the area include an Arts Festival in June, Music in Dunkeld Cathedral on selected summer Sunday evenings, and Highland Games in August in Birnam. Detailed information on these and other events, as well as on lodging and dining may be obtained from the Dunkeld and Birnam Information Centre, The Cross, Dunkeld, Perthshire, PH8 0AN. Tel. 01350 727688.

Lodging options range from the elegant Hilton Dunkeld, once the Edwardian estate of the 7th Duke of Atholl (Dunkeld, Perthshire PH8 OHX. Tel. 01350 727243; fax: 01350 727515) to the hostel-style Taybank (Tay Terrace, Dunkeld PH8 0AQ, tel. 01350 727340). The Pend, a bed-and-breakfast lodging within walking distance of town center and cathedral, accommodates up to 12 people (5 Brae Street, Dunkeld, Perthshire, PH8 0BA. Tel. 01350 727586; fax. 01350 727173; e-mail: react@sol.co.uk)