Plans to develop Aberfeldy Watermill into a bookshop, art gallery, music and coffee shop have been given the final go-ahead by Perth & Kinross Council. Work on the three-storey Grade-A listed building, which features a working waterwheel, will start this autumn, with opening scheduled for next Spring.

Now that planning permission has been confirmed, owners Kevin and Jayne Ramage say they can at last realise their dream of developing a ‘destination bookshop / art gallery’.  Their vision is a cultural centre, a shop which nurtures a passion for literature and the arts, stimulating intellectual curiosity and widening horizons.

The couple will be interviewing prospective staff early next year.  They will put together a retail team that can offer advice and experience across the spectrum.  Kevin, who also has shops in Yorkshire and London, feels that what makes his business work is the subject knowledge and personal interest of his employees.

Jayne, who is a primary teacher, is also keen to offer children an environment where they can freely browse.  “Children sometimes need to be encouraged to try out different authors”, she said, “book readings, events, review boards and topic-based displays can nudge them to broaden their literary outlook, in a way that is fun”.

The Watermill will be open year round, with Sunday openings and some evening events.  While the stock range will make it the largest bookshop in the rural Highlands, it will not look like a conventional store.

“We love the Watermill’s industrial heritage,” Kevin commented. A lot of the original mill machinery will be kept on site and the shop furniture will reflect the building’s historic nature. It is important to make this shop work as a literary/arts venue, as well as being a retail outlet”, he added.  “Our design includes a reading room and a big wood stove in the coffee lounge.  We want people to spend time in the mill, enjoying the building and relaxing.  It should be the sort of place you can comfortably get lost in a book, while enjoying a coffee and cake.”

On the art side, work is already underway to put together an exciting programme of exhibitions and events. The first exhibition is by Philip Hughes, who has exhibited at Tate St Ives, and will feature work inspired by ScottishMountains. An atrium area will also be used to feature large works of art and specially commissioned sculptures, the first by Ironfairy Blacksmiths of Keltneyburn.