Aviemore1950.  Too long ago?

I remember Aviemore from 1950 – is this too early for your interest?

I was born and brought up in Kelty, Fife, and when my friend’s father died, her mother got a job
in the Aviemore Hotel as a “sewing maid” and they moved there in 1949.  I spent two weeks with
them in 1950 in the original hotel which was burnt to the ground later in the ‘50s.  Supposedly, a
maid put hot ashes into a waste paper basket and that started the fire.  I don’t know if this is a
fact, it’s what I was told, but the dog belonging to her and also the hall porter Mr Allan were killed
in the fire.  I have a photo of the original hotel if that would be of interest to you.  Some of the places
you mention in your letter (Sunday Post) were in existence when I was there.  As far as I remember
there was one main street plus the council estate, and I only remember the butchers and the grocers. 
The locals bought their newspapers from the newsstand on the station platform.  I was 14 when I was
there and will be 71 in April 2007, so it was a long, long time ago.

Sincerely

Mrs Aileen M. Greer

Blandford Forum

Dorset

(A beautiful insight into pre-modern Aviemore, and I’m sure it will be of interest to many.  David)