The Harris family celebrated 50 years of ownership of The Original Rosslyn Inn in Roslin last month. The Harris family took charge on March 27, 1973, and celebrated the exact date with a VIP party at the hotel.
Grahame Harris and his son, Richard, who run the popular seven-bedroom hostelry, put together a series of videos for social media featuring the family, the Original, and its customers and staff, to celebrate and commemorate the last five decades.
Richard Harris, 41, explains, “Our 50 stories for 50 years video project is to celebrate everyone involved with the Original over the last 50 years, not just us. We feature regulars including Tam Murray, who is almost 80 and worked in the pub when he was a 10 year-old-boy, as well as the staff and family. We also cover lots of questions we are constantly asked – Why are there two dates on the building? What does the inscription above the fire mean? Did Robert Burns actually stay here?
“There are a few anecdotal and urban legend tales that will only ever be told on the barstools of the pub! And my dad, Grahame, obviously has more than a few of his own tales to share!”.
Grahame Harris, 71, was already a rising star in the hospitality industry when he arrived in the village with his parents Tom and Sheila, and turned the local pub with the main focus on drink, into a thriving hotel, bar and restaurant with the focus on events, good food, and homely coaching inn accommodation.
He said, “My dad wanted to harness my ‘youth and enthusiasm’ and create a family business. It’s been a pleasure to be welcomed into a village community that has given us so much. I’ve enjoyed serving them and being a part of it, and I take great pride in seeing Richard carry on the tradition.
“I have a few grandchildren I am hoping will want to be the fourth generation of Harris’s to run the business. And they and Richard have an advantage on me – they are Roslin natives. I’ll always be a ‘townie’ until my dying day!”