History of the Lade Inn

Alie & Sheana Maclaurin The Wayside Tea Rooms

Situated in the village of Kilmahog (chapel of St Chug) 2 miles north of Callander, the Lade Inn started life back in 1935 as the Wayside Tearooms. Two sisters Alie & Sheana Maclaurin set about creating an enterprising all women business and obtained a feu in the Millar's Meadow. With a loan from the Weslyan & General Building Society, they commissioned the design and construction of the Wayside from Architect Austin Laird.

The building cost £750 and the furniture, provided by Muirhead Moffat of Glasgow, and fittings brought the cost to just under £1000. It opened in May 1935 and was an instant success.

With homemade food available all day, attractive design and surroundings, people wanted to stay as well as eat, to make this possible Alie & Sheana used to stay in tents in the garden to accommodate guests before extensions were built later. The wayside made a thriving trade till it was requisitioned by the army in 1939.

Evelyn Zisch, a local who spent a lot of time at the Wayside Tearooms has kindly written to us to help fill in the gaps:

"After having read all of the history of the Lade Inn, I see that you don´t know much about "The Wayside" after the war. The very time I used to go there. I forgot to say I went as a friend and not as a guest and helped in the kitchen. Sheana and Alie had the premises until about 1965 or so when it became licensed. Sheana died soon after but Alie lived in Stirling until her death in 2000. They were both strict teetotallers and were shocked at what had happened to their guest house after they sold it! I remember the place so well."

Our philosophy is to continue what the Maclaurin sisters achieved all those years ago, by providing hearty, homemade food, in attractive surroundings with friendly service....even if they wouldn't agree with our alcohol license we're sure they would approve of the food.