My mother, a young woman in around the year 1902 worked in the old
Aviemore Hotel for several years.  It was then an impressive building
to which only the ‘better off’ people could afford to stay.  In those days,
they would arrive in their chauffeur driven cars, some with their lady’s maids.
The hotel then was deemed one of the best in Scotland.

Service then to such visitors was top class.  With a specially trained
housekeeper controlling the staff (my mother at that time was in
training for that position), which in later years she fulfilled, remaining
at the Aviemore Hotel for a number of years before marrying my father.
As a child, she used to tell me what it was like to live there and serve
the guests in those days.  The staff, before being taken on, had to have
very good references and during their time in service, all the women
wore Grant tartan dresses and big white linen aprons and head caps
and those waiting on tables were all inspected by the housekeeper
before service. 

Each girl had to have a clean white linen napkin over her arm and when
lining up for inspection by the housekeeper, if one girl had forgotten
the napkin, 6d (sixpence), was taken from her wages and in those
days the monthly wage was £3, a bit above the everyday hotel wage
then.  It was an honour to be employed at Aviemore and when seeking
another job, it was a good recommendation.

Staff were employed for seasonal work from early Easter until the end
of September.  Afterwards, only winter staff and the housekeeper
were retained.

It was a tragic day when that beautiful building was destroyed by fire.

Today, it is so different, when everyone can afford to enjoy the beautiful
hills and scenery and skiing. 

Somewhere among my old collection of photographs, I have original postcards
of the hotel and surrounding views.  If only I had the energy to clear out all
the drawers of photographs, but being at the age of 93, I think that could easily
 be left to those who will one day empty my house and look at all the old
photographs and wonder whether they are worth keeping and possibly out
they will go.  The youth of today want to look forward.  Looking back is the past.

I now live in a small house by the side of Luce Bay in bonnie Galloway, a very
lovely part of southern Scotland and many of my friends have come up through
 the ‘tartan curtain’ to retire and enjoy the peace of Galloway.

Please forgive my handwriting.  I am old fashioned and do not have ‘the web’,
(except those that the spiders make!) and I do not have a typing machine.

I do enjoy monthly the Scots Magazine together with a very informative and
 interesting Dumfries and Galloway Life magazine.

 Sincerely,

 Isabella C.S. Shaw

P.S.  My mother used to tell me of a family she was friendly with who lived in
Aviemore.  Their name was WEBSTER.  In 1960, my mother and I and my
husband drove to Aviemore and stayed for a few days and tried to find this
particular friend of my mothers, only to find that she had died the previous day.

My mother died in 1970 aged 88.  My only relation now (my niece), lives in
California, so only visits once in a while.