Prominent figure in Scottish shipping and owner of famous cafe The Elephant House

Born: June 27, 1951;

Died: April 3, 2019

SIR Iain Fraser of Tain, who has died aged 67, was a prominent member of the shipping community in Scotland notably Ben Line, one of the leading companies based in Leith. He gained wider fame when he opened The Elephant House café in Edinburgh which attracted the support of a certain magical author.

Iain Michael Duncan Fraser was born in Sarawak the son of an eminent surgeon. His grandfather had been the principal of Edinburgh University and the King’s Surgeon in Scotland, for which he was given the baronetcy – a title that his grandson was shy about using. Fraser was brought back to Scotland aged three and, aged six, was at the Edinburgh Academy in 1957.

His father returned to the Far East and Fraser attended Glenalmond College from 1964 until 69 and then gained a degree in business studies at Edinburgh University. He joined Ben Line Containers as their sales manager in 1974 and in 1980 he was in the Hong Kong office of Tottman and Ackroyd as their Far East sales manager. He spent several years in the region before joining American President Lines operating out of New York and San Francisco.

On his return to Edinburgh in 1994 he and a friend, David Taylor, set up The Elephant House on George IV Bridge and in the process established an Edinburgh institution. The friendly and relaxed atmosphere attracted nearby university students and many writers although over the years the café has become particularly known as the place where JK Rowling used to sit and write the Harry Potter books. She usually sat at a table writing in the back room - doubtless gaining inspiration from the imposing view of Edinburgh Castle.

The Elephant House has become a major Edinburgh tourist attraction and Fraser carefully expanded with two other venues but carefully preserved the café’s identity. A sign outside proclaims The Elephant House to be “the birthplace of Harry Potter”. The loos are a must-visit as fans of the Boy Wizard have covered the walls with endless graffiti posting tributes to Harry.

Fraser and Taylor were keen to promote The Elephant House as a café with a very specialist interest in unusual brands of coffee. They had a coffee of the month and imported coffees from all over the world. In 2014 they highlighted coffee from Malawi whose seeds had originally come from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh in 1870.

Fraser ensured the café kept a strong identity not only with the boy wizard. In keeping with his origins in the Far East, Fraser has placed 600 elephant figures and pictures around the café.

In 2017 he and his second wife assembled a delightful book on the capital: Sketchbook of Edinburgh. It contains 150 illustrations by Scottish based artists to illustrate their favourite journeys through the city in which the two had lived for much of their lives. The accompanying commentary displays their love of the city and areas they have explored from a cultural, historical and architectural standpoint. One critic described the book as intricate, accurate and an absolute delight. At last year’s Edinburgh Book Festival, the couple appeared giving a witty and enchanting talk (publicised as “an hour of pure Edinburgh indulgence”) to a packed audience.

Fraser was a well-known figure around Edinburgh was and closely associated with both the literary club the Monks of St Giles and the Merchant Company of Edinburgh. He was a popular member of the New Club where he was an enthusiastic chairman of the catering committee.

Fraser was a keen follower of Scottish rugby and long-time supporter of

the Edinburgh Academical Football Club. A club official recalls, “Iain sponsored various events and placed distinctive adverts for The Elephant House in our match day programmes. He was particularly supportive of any foreign players at the club, welcoming them to his home and supporting them in so many ways, doing so quietly and without fuss.”

Two old friends summed Fraser up succinctly: “Iain was kind and generous to many, always positive and enthusiastic about life” and “There was absolutely nothing stuffy about Iain.”

Significantly Lady Fraser suggested at the funeral no one should wear black and “that everyone wears bright colours and ties to reflect the kind of person Iain was.”

Sir Iain Fraser’s first marriage to Sherylle Gillespie in 1981 was dissolved in 1991. In 2004 he married in the Canongate Kirk Anne Ferguson (nee Sim) who, along with a son and daughter from his first marriage, survive him. His son Benjamin inherits the baronetcy. He, as does his sister, lives in New Zealand, the birthplace of their mother, Iain’s first wife.

ALASDAIR STEVEN