There has been a house on the site since at least the16th Century when Stronvar was a fortified house owned by Ian Dubh MacGregor. He later died at the battle of Glen Fruin in 1603.
Little is known of the house during the 17th and 18th century, but it appears that the estate passed into the hands of the Stewarts of Glen Buckie and was renamed Glen Buckie House. We do know that John Lorn Stewart had Glen Buckie House rebuilt in 1825 and the stables, now Stronvar Farm, were added to the estate in 1828.
David Carnegie bought the house in 1849 and employed the famous Victorian architect David Bryce to add so much to the house so as to make it almost an entirely new mansion house and he restored the estate to its earlier name of Stronvar. The estate was quickly added to so that it stretched on the south side of the glen from Invernenty (away up Loch Doine) to Stronslaney on the back road to Strathyre and on the northside from Ledcreich down to the Smiddy at Auchtubh.
In 1952, the Carnegie's sold the estate lock, stock and barrel. Sitting tenants were allowed to buy their houses at bargain prices and those who had worked on the estate were particularly favoured.
Stronvar House eventually became a very popular Youth Hostel, but in the early 1970's, when Fire Regulations came into force, the Scottish Youth Hostels' Association couldn't afford to bring the building up to the required safety standard and it had to be put on the market again.
Major renovations and redecoration have restored Stronvar to its former elegance and luxury and we hope guests will enjoy the surroundings, both within the house itself and out of doors in our lovely countryside, just as much as the Carnegie guests did all those years ago.
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