Ossian's Hall

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Ossian's Hall, a summer-house in Little Dunkeld parish, Perthshire, on the left bank of the Bran, 1½ mile WSW of Dunkeld. Placed on the summit of a rock, 40 feet above a long, foaming cataract of the Bran, it is so constructed as to command a downward view of the falls from a bow window, yet entirely to hide it in the circuit of the walls. The window is fitted with a picture of Ossian on a sliding panel; and is so contrived that, while the picture engages a visitor's attention, the panel suddenly flies asunder, and discloses

` One loud cascade in front, and lo!
A thousand like it, white as snow—
Streams on the walla, and torrent foam
As active round the hollow dome,
Illusuve cataracts! of their terrors
Not stripped, nor voiceless in the mirrors,
That catch the pageant from the flood
Thundering adown a rocky wood.'

Wordsworth-the poem is his-came hither with his sister Dorothy on 8 Sept. 1803. In 1869 the ` intrusive pile ' was wantonly destroyed with gunpowder. but in 1879-80 it was restored to its former condition.—Ord. Sur., sh. 47, 1869.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer