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Perthshire

Innerpeffray Library

Scotland's first free public lending library, founded around 1680 by David Drummond, Lord Madertie, in a Georgian library by a medieval chapel near Crieff.

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Welcome

Down a quiet lane by the River Earn, a white Georgian house and a low stone chapel stand together among the fields.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

The house is the Library of Innerpeffray, founded around 1680 by David Drummond, Lord Madertie, who wanted books to be read by everyone, and it was the first free public lending library in Scotland.

The library began in the chapel next door and moved into its own building in the eighteenth century. In a light room with tall arched windows, the shelves hold thousands of old books, many printed before 1800: bibles, atlases, herbals and histories, some of them laid open on the reading tables for visitors to turn the pages of. The library still keeps its borrowing register, a record of who took out which book, reaching back three centuries.

The library opens from March to October, Wednesday to Sunday, and the chapel can be visited alongside it.

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Before you go

Open from March to October, Wednesday to Saturday from ten until five and Sunday afternoons from two; closed from November to the end of February.

Where
Innerpeffray, by Crieff PH7 3RF, on the River Earn.
Telephone
01764 652819.

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Did you know

An open borrowers' register with handwritten ledger entries displayed in a glass case
Did you know

Every loan written down.

The library still holds its borrowing register, a record of loans reaching back some three centuries.

Glazed bookcases lining a study around a sash window, a display case of open manuscripts set before it
Did you know

Books for everyone.

Lord Madertie founded the library with a school, to make books and reading available to all.

A dim stone hall with a barrel-vaulted roof holds a stone altar, arched windows lighting one wall beside framed panels.
Did you know

Older than the house.

The library began in the chapel next door before moving to its Georgian building.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Perthshire

Book-lovers, step this way. As the oldest lending library in the whole of Scotland, this wonderfully hushed venue exudes a rare sense of history, dating back as it does to 1680. Guided tours are available, and you’re still able to browse some of the rare titles in the collection.

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What is on in Perthshire
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Where it is

In the countryside by the River Earn, four miles south-east of Crieff.

Close byStrathearn.
  1. Sourdough loaves, seeded rounds and baguettes stacked on wire racks with price cards at Damsel Bakery in Crieff.Damsel Bakery3 miles as the crow flies
  2. The dining room at the Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, with tables laid in white under a beamed ceiling, a golden Lalique chandelier, tartan chairs and tall windows onto the garden.The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant4 miles as the crow flies
  3. A pear soufflé with a crumble topping, beside poached pear and a scoop of ice cream on a gold-rimmed plate, at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie.Restaurant Andrew Fairlie4 miles as the crow flies
  4. The fountain in the square at Crieff under bunting.CrieffThe market town of Strathearn, once the great cattle tryst.5 miles 9 min by road
  5. Lady Mary's WalkLady Mary's WalkA beech-lined riverside walk along the Earn at Crieff.5 miles 11 min by road
  6. Drummond Castle GardensDrummond Castle GardensA formal garden of 1630 below Drummond Castle, near Muthill.7 miles 19 min by road
Directions
A landscape view of Whitehill on its hill: the steadings, the farmhouse and its red-roofed wing in low sun across a field of young crop.AuchterarderWhitehill Farm HouseSleeps 8 · 1.3 miles
Gallery interior with framed artwork on white walls and ceramics on plinthsAttractionsThe Strathearn Gallery4.6 miles
Punnets of brambles, raspberries and strawberries on a bed of straw beside the polytunnels at Broadslap Fruit Farm.ShoppingBroadslap Fruit Farm6.0 miles
Stepped gable end of a stone chapel with a tall arched windowAttractionsTullibardine Chapel6.2 miles
Gleneagles Hotel's long sandstone facade curves around a terrace with outdoor seating and a colonnade.WalksGleneagles7.8 miles
The Wild Hearth Bakery shop in Comrie, with sourdough loaves on wooden shelves behind a glass counter of pastries and cinnamon buns.CafeWild Hearth Bakery8.3 miles
Farm stall with baskets of apples, pumpkins, leeks and citrus fruitShoppingComrie Croft Farm Shop9.3 miles
The timber front of Gloagburn Farm Shop at Tibbermore, its open door framed by pots of heather and bedding plants for sale.ShoppingGloagburn Farm Shop9.5 miles
Stone cairn topped with a cross, dated 1857, encircled by fencingAttractionsMaggie Wall Witch Monument9.9 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the library, and when each is next free.

A landscape view of Whitehill on its hill: the steadings, the farmhouse and its red-roofed wing in low sun across a field of young crop.Whitehill Farm House
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Auchterarder
  • A mile from Innerpeffray
Free 10–14 NovThe Old Farmhouse, PerthshireThe Old Farmhouse
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Logiealmond
  • 9 miles from Innerpeffray
Check datesA grand stone mansion with multiple gables and chimneys stands behind a lawn set with wicker chairs, seen through overhanging leaves.Cromlix
  • To stay
  • In Kinbuck
  • 11 miles from Innerpeffray
Check datesAn aerial view of a golf green surrounded by bunkers and trees, rolling countryside stretching to the horizon.Murrayshall
  • To stay
  • In Scone
  • 16 miles from Innerpeffray
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in PerthshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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