Gleneagles: Stories from the Glorious Playground
To be published in May in partnership with publisher Rizzoli, Gleneagles: Stories from the Glorious Playground will showcase how, from its beginning, the hotel has radiated the effervescence of the Roaring Twenties, and how today, the spirit of glamorous gatherings past lives on across the estate.
With a foreword by HRH The Princess Royal, the stunning coffee table book is written by James Collard, who previously edited Times Luxx amongst other prestigious publications. Guest contributors include the esteemed Justine Picardie, contributing editor to Harper’s Bazaar and award-winning BBC sportswriter and broadcaster Tom English. The exquisite slip-cased volume explores Gleneagles’ archives through high times and wartime, looking both at the romance that endures behind its famed front doors, whilst casting a glance towards its future.
Since opening its doors a century ago, Gleneagles has remained one of the world’s most iconic luxury hotels and sporting estates. This celebratory volume, published to coincide with the hotel’s centenary, explores the heritage, glamour, and timeless sophistication of this enduring Scottish treasure.
When Gleneagles first opened in 1924 it was dubbed the “Riviera of the Highlands” and quickly claimed its place among the greatest leisure destinations in the world and over the years, the hotel has welcomed iconic stars of stage and screen, such as Sean Connery and Rita Hayworth. The book explores important moments from the past 100 years, including a show stopping fashion show from Christian Dior in the ‘50s and The Gleneagles Agreement in the ‘70s, as well as more modern highlights like the G8 Summit and Ryder Cup, both hosted at Gleneagles, and the now annual Gleneagles Garden Party.
The book says, “Gleneagles promised all the fun of a house party for those who might not have country houses of their own: a successful London or Glasgow entrepreneur, perhaps, or even a Hollywood power couple, such as actress Norma Shearer and her producer husband Irving Thalberg. But judging from the pages of Tatler – high-society’s magazine of record, which featured the hotel regularly throughout the 1920s and 1930s, and again in the 1950s and into the 1960s – many participants in Gleneagles’ glittering gatherings were upper-class Brits who very much did have country houses of their own. They flocked to Gleneagles anyway, especially in August, when golf or grouse shooting by day was combined with a buzzing social scene by night.”
Now, a hundred years on, its beauty, lure, and reputation for world-class hospitality remain unparalleled. Today, the spirit of glamorous gatherings past lives on, among many other pursuits, such as falconry, clay pigeon shooting, horse riding, golf, or simply soaking up the views of the majestic Glendevon while watching croquet on the front lawn.
Gleneagles: Stories from the Glorious Playground will be available to purchase in the Gleneagles Retail Arcade, as well as all good book shops in store and online from the 8 May 2024.
