Situated in Strathglass, near to Plodda Falls, the scenic village of Tomich and the Guisachan estate and house. could have you almost believing you had stepped back in time.
Guisachan Estate itself was granted to the Frasers of Culbokie in 1544, however the original, rather substantial, Guisachan house was burnt to the ground in 1746, by the Duke of Cumberland in retaliation for William Fraser allying himself with the Jacobites. In 1755, William Fraser the 9th inherited the estate on the death of his father and built the current, albeit now ruined, mansion house.
After falling on hard times, the house and Estate was subsequently sold to Sir Edward Dudley Coutts Majoribanks, 1st Lord Tweedmouth, in 1855. Allegedly, the Grandson MacUisdean, William Fraser announced that if someone were to give him £60,000, he would immediately sell Guisachan Estate and house. Tweedmouth had apparently said it was a deal. The next day Fraser said he no longer wanted to sell his land, however, it is said that Tweedmouth refused to allow Fraser to renege, stating a gentleman’s word is his bond.
After purchasing the estate and house, Tweedmouth was apparently unhappy at his workers’ crofts being in close proximity to Guisachan House and set about constructing the village of Tomich, 1.5miles away. In addition to 26 homes for his tenants, Tweedmouth also built, a school, a laundry and a brewery. Not all tenants were happy with this situation, but with their crofts destroyed they had no choice but to relocate.
Lord Tweedmouth was not only known a an improver, he is responsible for the development of the Golden Retriever breed of dog, a process which began with a yellow Wavy-Coated Retriever (Nous) and a Tweed Water-Spaniel (Belle) in 1868, and subsequent matings through the decades until 1890, where the now familiar Goldie was firmly established.
Over the years Guisachan house saw many influential visitors such as Disraeli, Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of York (later to become George V and Queen Mary), and Gladstone.
Sir Dudley Marjoribanks’ son Edward inherited the house and estate when Sir Dudley died in 1894. After the death of his wife Fanny Spencer Churchill (aunt of Winston Churchill) in 1904, Edward being in ill health and in financial difficulties left the Estate for good and died in 1909.
It was virtually unsaleable because of its size and disrepair, and the end came when Lady Islington, who lived at Hilton Lodge, bought Guisachan in 1939 for £1500. She asset-stripped the house and removed the roof allowing this once majestic building to fall into the ruinous state it is today. The lady was motivated by stripping of another kind. Adherents of National Fitness Campaign used to swim naked in the lochan near her house.
Tomich is now a conservation village and there is a fountain commemorating Lord and Lady Tweedmouth just as you enter.
This is a slight departure from my usual images, as I don’t usually edit my work, but when it comes to ruined buildings, I feel altering the colours adds to the subject matter.
Photograph taken on 21st June 2014.
