Grantown on Spey is an inland example of a planned 18th Century village. Founded in 1766 by Sir James Grant, it was created as the focal point for new industries in the area and grew steadily so that, by 1851, it had over 1000 inhabitants. However it did not develop as the planned manufacturing centre but rather as a service centre for the surrounding area and with the arrival of the railway in 1863 its popularity grew as a holiday centre.
The Victorian fashion for sports led to the development of tennis courts, bowling greens and a golf course which exist to this day, although now it is equally popular as a holiday centre for skiers, hill-walkers and those fishermen wishing to salmon fish the River Spey.
The closure of the railway in 1965 has led to the conversion of many of the long stay summer holiday homes into hotels and boarding houses. This, as well as the development of the Cairngorms for ski-ing, has led to the extension of the holiday season.
Opened in 2007, the Craig MacLean Leisure Centre is named after the Olympic cyclist, and the gold-painted post box in a wall on the High Street commemorates the gold medal he won in the London Paralympics of 2012.
