Restored to its Former Glory

If a visitor was only allowed to say one thing about Clydesdale's Abington Hotel, they would undoubtedly remark upon the warm welcome travellers receive on entering the 19th century inn.

They - John, Jemma and son, Duncan - have been running the hotel for the past 13 years and have made every effort to ensure all who pass over their threshold are made to feel like long lost members of the family.

There has been an inn in Abington since the 18th century and the current hotel was built in 1896. It boasts 28 en-suite bedrooms, a lounge bar and a restaurant selling wholesome home-made food, and conference facilities. It is situated less than a mile from the M74, slap bang in the middle of the village of Abington.

Famous visitors include Napoleon Bonaparte III, the grand-nephew of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who, following a day?s grouse shooting in 1839, stayed at the original hotel and whose chair you can still see in the present building. More recently, Jimmy Paige of Led Zepplin and Clarissa Dickson Wright have dined at the hotel.

Duncan said: "The emphasis at the Abington Hotel is on providing old fashioned hospitality. We want all our guests to feel right at home which is why we offer them comfortable surroundings and a menu that has all the favourites such as steak and kidney pie.

"We have been investing in the hotel over the past few years and have almost completed renovating the bedrooms, lounge and restaurant. In carrying out this ongoing project, we have tried to retain a more traditional decor within the hotel in keeping with the style of the building."

The family worked with Small Business Gateway Clydesdale who helped direct the company's development, accessing support from the business development network in Lanarkshire including Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire. More recently, the hotel was awarded a grant from South Lanarkshire Business Venture Fund to assist facelift works to the building.

Said Duncan: "The oldest part of the hotel was originally red sandstone, but around 50 years ago, the then owners decided to paint it white. This looks absolutely brilliant when it s first done, but the sandstone absorbs the moisture from the paint and, e eventually, it starts to flake off leaving the building looking terrible. That's why we wanted to return it to its original look. Not only would it be less maintenance, but we would have restored it to the way it was intended to look 100 years ago."

The MacBrides brought in a specialist firm, Cameron Construction (Scotland) of Cumbernauld who used high pressure water jets and a weak acid solution to strip half a century of paint off the building. The firm then stabilised the exerior and then the building was repointed.

"We're really pleased with the outcome of the building. Obviously, the restoration project caused a fair bit of disruption, but it was well worth it. We are hoping that the 'new' look wll entice more people to come through the doors and try out our hospitality.

"We will continue to invest and upgrade throughout the hotel and have a number of projects in the pipeline. We spent half the grant on stripping the paint off the old part of the hotel. The next stage will be to paint the rear of the hotel. We'll also continue upgrading our rooms. Most of them are now complete, but there are one or two which have still to be done."

"One thing is for sure, no matter what's ahead for the Abington Hotel, visitors will always receive a warm welcome."

Business South Lanarkshire - Winter 2001

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