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MHG23619 - Inshriach Nursery

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Full Description

Inshriach Nursery near Aviemore was added to the national Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in 1987.

The Nursery was established in 1939 within the grounds of Inshriach House and has been developed continuously since then. Reference to the 1st edition OS map of c.1850 indicates that the present site was largely undeveloped land on the edge of the woodland of the South Kinrara estate. At that time a Bobbin Mill was on the site and a pond was situated nearby. Jack Drake who established the Nursery worked in the family firm of sugar brokers prior to being apprenticed to W.G. Th. Ingwersen Ltd. He travelled extensively with Will Ingwersen on plant-hunting expeditions to the Canadian Rockies, Vancouver Island and the Olympic Mountains. In 1938 Jack & Stamford Drake purchased Inshriach House (formerly South Kinrara). Jack Drake established the Nursery at Inshriach in 1938 but, with the outbreak of World War II, the venture was inevitably neglected. By 1947, development had resumed and the first catalogues were issued. In 1949 John Lawson came to work in the Nursery. One year later, the two whitewashed cottages in the north-east corner of the site were built. In 1957 the house which stands in the centre of the site was built. Excavations from the building were used to level off plunge bed areas. In 1970, Jack Drake retired. The estate was sold but the Nursery was retained by John Lawson. It maintains today its reputation for producing hardy specialist material which is distributed worldwide. The growth of the Aviemore Centre as a tourist attraction has brought more direct sales but the majority of trade today is still conducted on a mail order basis. The Nursery will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 1988. <1>

The nursery was removed from the inventory by Historic Environment Scotland with effect from 13/12/2016 following re-assessment. It was considered that site no longer met the criteria for the Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes. <2>

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 8763 0740 (186m by 194m)
Map sheet	NH80NE
Civil Parish	ALVIE
Geographical Area	BADENOCH AND STRATHSPEY

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