The Temperance Hotel in Scarinish in 1880
Photograph of the Temperance Hotel in Scarinish in 1880.
Courtesy of Mrs Mhairi Crookston
The Temperance Hotel in Scarinish was built in the middle of the 19th century. Local tradition has it that the Duke of Argyll had forbidden the sale of alcohol on the island following a fatal accident through drink at the inn in Kilmoluaig.
The Temperance Movement, which flourished in Scotland in the 19th and early 20th centuries, advocated total abstinence from ‘intoxicating liquors’. This stance was actively supported in 1847 by the island’s minister Rev. Neil MacLean who encouraged his parishioners to sign a resolution to refrain from ‘drinking ardent spirits at funerals’.
Spirits could only be obtained on the island by importing them privately by steamer or, between the wars, by drinking on board while the steamer was tied up at the pier. In World War II two NAAFIs were built which sold alcohol. The hotel in Scarinish first obtained a liquor licence in 1950.
Black and white photograph of the Scarinish Hotel in 1880.
The Scarinish Hotel in 1880.