An ambitious plan is underway to renovate a Victorian Wash House in the pretty Kinross-shire village of Scotlandwell. The elegant listed historic building has fallen into serious disrepair but local people are determined to save it and complete the restoration of the picturesque village centre.
The driving force behind the project is Scotlandwell in Bloom who were responsible for restoring the Well Garden and recent winners of the Kinross-shire and Glenfarg Civic Trust Best Kept Village Competition.

It’s 150 years since the Wash House was first opened next to the ornamental Well building.  Both the Well and Wash House were designed by the eminent architect David Bryce, who was also responsible for Fettes College and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. The buildings were part of a village enhancement scheme which included a walled garden and a communal bleachfield – now the playing field.
Local residents have already raised over £1000 in pledges towards the capital fund to conserve the Wash House. The project has also received financial support from the Scottish Government and the European Community Rural Tayside LEADER 2007-2013 Programme and Perth & Kinross Council’s Rural Initiatives Fund. This means the project team can move to the next stage of commissioning a professional team and applying for capital funding.  The total project cost is expected to be in the order of about £75000.

The original price of the Wash House was just £117 and it was paid for by local landowner Thomas Bruce of Arnot, who was behind the entire village centre project. The Wash House fell out of use after village houses received their own piped water supplies. While there’ll be no return to communal washing, Scotlandwell in Bloom believe the Wash House will be a popular venue for activities associated with the culture and heritage of the village and surrounding area.

Perth & Kinross Councillor Willie Robertson said:"The Wash House is an important part of the social history of Scotlandwell and rightly deserves to be safeguarded. Once restored, I am confident it will become an important facility for the community and will be a real asset. I also welcome the news that plans are underway to restore the environs of the Wash House and reinstate the cobbles. This can only enhance the appearance of the Wash House once it has been fully restored."

Dr Karen McDonnell, Chair of Scotlandwell in Bloom and Acting Chair of Take a Pride in Perthshire said “I would like to thank local donors who have demonstrated support for the project by contributing to our fundraising campaign so far.  Together with the funding from Perth & Kinross Council and Rural Tayside LEADER Local Action Group this means we can get this project moving forward. It’s early days but we are on the way now.”

For more information please contact Dr Karen McDonnell 01592 840379 or Elaine Carruthers 01592 840652 or Zoë Gamble, Project Development Adviser, Take a Pride in Perthshire Association. M: 07799 066099 E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Rural Tayside LEADER  is part of the Scottish  Rural  development  programme and  focuses on supporting  small scale, innovative  community  driven projects that  tackle local  development  objectives and  benefit the community. The programme is  funded  by the  Scottish  Government and the  European  Commission. Match  funding comes from the public and  private sector and  community  groups. For more information see www.ruraltaysideleader.com