A Deeside community has taken the first step on an inspiring journey to restore a historic hotel.
There has been a stopping place on the site of the Huntly Arms Hotel in Aboyne since 1432.
Now a group of locals are hoping to preserve its rich history by bringing new life to the site, which has closed in stages over the past 12 months.
They have formed the Huntly Arms Regeneration Project (Harp) to investigate bringing the site back to life, and have secured funding for a feasibility study.
In 1715, during the first Jacobite uprising, the Earl of Mar rested and conferred at the hotel on his way to raise the standard at Braemar.
The rebellion was doomed and it was not until 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie returned to Scotland, that Jacobite voices were raised once again in the Huntly Arms Tavern.
Years later, Queen Victoria often rested at the hotel on her way to Balmoral and had her own private dining room there.
It was renamed the Huntly Arms Hotel in 1882 and has remained so ever since.
However the hotel and restaurant closed at the end of last year and the bar closed its doors at the start of lockdown.
Now Harp, supported by the Mid Deeside Community Trust (MDCT), are working on a plan to create a new, viable business venture.
MDCT now has a dedicated steering group whose members are embarking on a feasability study which will determine if there is a viable economic development option.
Dave Marshall, of the group, said: “We firmly believe that we can deliver the Huntly as a revitalised hotel and more.
“The ingredients of heritage, position, potential and demand are there, subject to them being delivered in the right package on a sound economic footing and by attracting an experienced hotel operator.
“Redevelopment, we know, will cost very significant fund, however one step at a time.”
The steering group comprises of MDCT, the community council, Councillor Peter Argyle, the North East Scotland Preservation Trust and Aberdeenshire Economic Development Department.
Experts from Aboyne Architectural Services, construction company AJC and the Aboyne and Deeside Heritage Society will also assist.
MDCC member Claire Fraser added: “We are so pleased to have received the finances required to now commence the first phase viability study which will determine if there is a viable economic development option.
“This first step will enable us to see if our dreams to save the Huntly can be realised.”
