Monarch of the Glen Blavil Estate (aka Kilwillie Castle) for sale

[Jock Scot]

It is indeed a lovely estate, but £7 million would only be the start! You could probably nearly double that to equip it and run the whole shebang. Owning an estate like that is not for the financially feint hearted!

[creagdhubh]

Yes, Balavil House is very lovely and I know Allan Macpherson-Fletcher and his family quite well. The BBC series, "Monarch of the Glen" was filmed on location in Laggan, Newtonmore, Kingussie, Ardverikie Estate, Balavil House, etc, all located in the heart of Badenoch - traditional Clan Macpherson lands. I have been at Balavil many times; afternoon tea is always held there during the annual Clan Macpherson Gathering during the first weekend in August. In the series of photos of the house, notice the Macpherson armorial bearings in carved plaster just above the front entrance, as well as the dining room table cloth in the Macpherson hunting tartan...just stunning!

It is also interesting to note that Cluny Castle (near Laggan in Inverness-shire - not too terribly far from Balavil House), the former seat of the Chiefs of the Clan Macpherson (replacing the original castle, which was burned to the ground after Culloden during the hunt for Ewan Macpherson of Cluny, and up until its sale in 1946 due to an enormous, outstanding debt), is also for sale. I tell you, if I had the money, Cluny Castle and the surrounding estate, would be immediately returned to the Clan Macpherson where it rightfully belongs!

Here's a photo of Allan (wearing the gorgeous silver cantled, Scottish Wildcat sporran) during the annual Clan Macpherson Gathering in Badenoch.


Cheers,

[mookien]

It is indeed a lovely estate, but £7 million would only be the start! You could probably nearly double that to equip it and run the whole shebang. Owning an estate like that is not for the financially feint hearted!

And then there are the taxes and those noisy, troublesome crofters. Why can't we proletariat simply accept our lot and leave the well-deserved 1% alone to do all the important things they do, ... whatever they are!?

[creagdhubh]

It is indeed a lovely estate, but £7 million would only be the start! You could probably nearly double that to equip it and run the whole shebang. Owning an estate like that is not for the financially feint hearted!

Precisely!

[Grizzly]

Kyle if your a fiver short , I will sub you mate!

[creagdhubh]

Kyle if your a fiver short , I will sub you mate!

Hahaha! Cheers, Simon! Once the estate is officially ours, we can head down to The Tipsy Laird, or The Glen Hotel for a few celebratory drams with the locals.

[Grizzly]

It's only right that the estate should stay in McPherson hands. Just name the time and place and we will have that dram.

[creagdhubh]

It's only right that the estate should stay in McPherson hands. Just name the time and place and we will have that dram.

Indeed. From your own clan's perspective, I couldn't imagine Achnacarry Castle being occupied by anyone else other than Lochiel and his family!

Slainte,

[ThistleDown]

A couple of small corrections to the newspaper report. Balavil was formerly called Belleville, as was noted. An earlier house on the property was calls Raitts and was the residence of the Borlum Mackintoshes, but is not the Rait Castle, place of the Comyn plot to kill the leading Mackintoshes that seriously backfired on them. Balavil/Belleville/Raitts is in Badenoch, Raits Castle is in Nairnshire.

Raitts, along with two other Mackintosh lands, Benchar and Clune, was sold to James "Ossian" Macpherson; he had already purchased the old Macpherson lands of Phoiness and Ettridge and the Davidson holding of Invernahavon. James built the 'new' house and renamed it Belleville. After his death in 1796 one of his daughters, Juliet, inherited the property. She and her son, Lieut.-Colonel David Edward Brewster, added Macpherson to their name (Brewster-Macpherson) in order to succeed under Ossian's will.

In the last two generations the succession was again through the female line, so the name has altered once more, this time to Macpherson-Fletcher. I think this is the last of the old Mackintosh and, later, Macpherson properties in the Strath. It will be sad to see it pass out of Scottish ownership, but as Jock said, the costs of maintaining are enormous and it takes somebody's very healthy bank account to enable dozens and dozens of families to earn livings in the neighbourhood.

[artificer]

Sadly, I've just purchased a new dressing gown. Otherwise I'd snatch this little beauty right up as a vacation home.


On a slightly more realistic note, it's a bit sad to see something being sold off after remaining in one family for so long, but needs must, I suppose.

ith: