# Big House, Scotland July 2012



## Ha.zel

After a hefty amount of research I finally found out where this place was, still didn't expect to find it due to my broken sat nav and distinct lack of navigational skills but I surprised myself and we arrived 3 hours later, what a beautiful building it was! 

In it's heyday: 







I'm sure most of you will have read about it's history but just in case - All I can find online was that the big house was the replacement for an ancient castle. It was thought to have been used as a house/ school for evacuees during WW2. Since then I'm sure it has been used as a family home until around 1997 (we found loads of letters and such dated to around that point. 

There is plenty of interesting artifacts lying around, clothes, books, hundreds of toys and not to mention the beautiful baby grand piano. It felt distinctly spooky creeping around with silence all around us, and I expected the floor to cave in at any moment. 

Unfortunately I feel like I only skimmed the surface as we got caught halfway through the 1st floor by an rather displeased farmer type man. I'm sure he lived in a nearby house and sort of looked after the place. 
He was determined to call the police but thankfully we managed to calm him down.. I felt rather shaken afterwards as it was my 2nd explore and 1st time getting caught. It happens to everyone though I guess! I would love to go back and finish what we started but i'm not sure I have the guts to bump into this gentleman a second time! 

Anyhoo, here are my pics, apologies for the distinct lack and variety of them but I hope you enjoy what I did manage to capture  











The unique oval entrance hall:
















I already knew our escape route was blocked:  





What a beautiful view it was, even on a classic Scottish summer's day 





The piano. It pains me to see this go to waste. It's still in pretty immaculate condition it seems, it would be such a shame if it wasn't rescued by the owners 





We just took pictures from the door of this room, there seemed to be a nest of chicks nearby, with swallows swooping at us and the floor didn't look too happy...






























Some dark spiral stairs I was far too much of a wimp to attempt... anyone else been down them?


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## UEP-Wales

What a cracking looking place and well captured! 

Cheers for posting these up!


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## SH2010

Well said Urbex-SW, I often cannot believe how a house as beautiful as this can literally be walked away from. Those gloomy stairs look fantastic from an exploration perspec. Christ knows what one would expect to find down there! I'll let my imagination run wild!

Cheers for posting!


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## UE-OMJ

The big house finds are just amazing.


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## sonyes

Stunning!!! Love it, and you have captured it brilliantly. Thanks for sharing.


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## Mars Lander

Excellent report that and your pictures really show it off.

Shame about the angry farmer I always thought this place would be a breeze and plan on going here sometime too, had a farmer and some coppers find us on Saturday in a stellar place we were gutted.


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## flyboys90

This house always amazes me with its contents!strange,great photos.


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## lost

Did you manage to get any information out of the farmer? 
Nice set of photos. I think the spiral staircase goes down into the basement, which is very dingy and empty.


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## eggbox

Great stuff. That place remains a favourite; views to die for and all the personal belongings, you can so easily imagine living there. Uber shame it's slowly rotting.


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## KingRat

Another phrase thrown around on here is the following "Stunning/amazing/wonderful images" (even if they're utter rubbish). Well these really are stunning images. Love the 'feel' of them, moody, dark and perfectly representable (haz I just made a word up?) of the house.

Love it


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## Ha.zel

Thanks everyone! I'm glad you like my photo's, it seems like a breeze to make such a beautiful building like this look great though.  
It's such a mysterious place, I can't stop wondering why it was left in such a state! 
Unfortunately the farmer was a very displeased man, I didn't think it would be a clever idea to quiz him about the building as he was super suspicious about us as it was haha


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## Ha.zel

Forgot to mention this little house that was in the grounds, didn't get a chance to go inside though.


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## scribble

That's beautiful. I love the view over the lake.


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## eggbox

You have to wonder what happened to make someone up and leave that view. :-/


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## _Nyx_

Beautiful place & fantastic photos, thanks for sharing


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## shane.c

What a lovely place sham its going to ruin,


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## perjury saint

Great stuff! What a shame you got rumbled...


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## Lucky Pants

Great pictures, what a place . Thanks for sharing .


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## HorZa

Some great photos. Would love to see down the spiral staircase. If I could find out where it was I'd be there quick sharp, however in the meantime GET DOWN THE STAIRS!


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## Alexander1683

Did you take any more pictures?


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## Ha.zel

Alexander1683 said:


> Did you take any more pictures?



Got a few samey shots but that's about it i'm afraid.  
I'm sure there was plenty more to capture as well!


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## UrbanX

Blimey, you don't see reports like that every day! What a find! Thanks for sharing!


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## Ha.zel

Thanks guys  
These houses really are hidden gems


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## Alexander1683

Fantastic photographs!

How bad is the dry rot and did the farmer man say he OWNED the house?


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## NakedEye

Well done not only for finding this place but for capturing it so well...the personal possessions for me create the 'frozen in time' element of a life / lives that once existed there but have ceased...the doll by the bed is a dream! i want to go there now! bravo my friend...


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## techmylife

Just... wow! The 2nd picture of stairs (with the tall arched window) - They look really unnerving... 

Great set of pics!


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## Ha.zel

Alexander1683 said:


> Fantastic photographs!
> 
> How bad is the dry rot and did the farmer man say he OWNED the house?



Thanks 
It's pretty bad in the stairwells mostly, much of the rooms aren't too bad apart from one infested by pigeons. He didn't say he owned it, he said something like "this is someone's home... how could you just walk into it like this?!" which suggests to me it isn't his home, but who knows.


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## Judderman62

liking that lots


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## tossom

Wow. Piano got me again on this set. A schiedmayer can sell for over £15k if restored.


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## explorer101

gorgeous looking place and such beautiful photos (until i got to the naked doll by the bed and the child in me giggled!)
such a shame its got into that state!

L x


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## darkside

great report my friend sounds a good place to have a look around ,many thanks


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## Alexander1683

seaoflove said:


> Thanks
> It's pretty bad in the stairwells mostly, much of the rooms aren't too bad apart from one infested by pigeons. He didn't say he owned it, he said something like "this is someone's home... how could you just walk into it like this?!" which suggests to me it isn't his home, but who knows.



Thank you so much for the information and the pictures!

My family and I are looking for a grand place to buy and restore to its former glory and when we saw this place, we wanted it!

We did so much digging, found out where it was relatively easily and got numerous phone numbers for councilors and for the farmer who you encountered. We also bought the title deeds for the home.

Apparently (the councilors told us this) they have been harassing the farmer (who does indeed own the home) for ten years to do something about its dilapidated state. However, he hasn't returned their calls. I thought for a very long time during our research that he didn't own it - despite him claiming to on the phone after our friendly (no sarcasm) conversation.

Alas he does. Last time we spoke to him he said that he was in the beginning of "doing it up". I hope he does and I hope he restores it to its former glory. It is a home of great historic interest too.

We were quite disappointed when we read that his name was on the title deeds. Oh well! There will always be another one!

Again, thank you so much. This website is absolutely fantastic to a) look at the beauty of properties, whether they be ruinous or 'stuck in time' and b) for people like us who have a genuine passion for restoring old properties and making them into a family home again. Note, we are not evil property developers who would wish to split a home up into flats for a mean profit. Such sacrilege is unthinkable! Rather we have a modest budget and a lot of love, passion, taste and ambition!

It was a great adventure whilst it lasted! Keep up the good work!


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## Ha.zel

Alexander1683 said:


> Thank you so much for the information and the pictures!
> 
> My family and I are looking for a grand place to buy and restore to its former glory and when we saw this place, we wanted it!
> 
> We did so much digging, found out where it was relatively easily and got numerous phone numbers for councilors and for the farmer who you encountered. We also bought the title deeds for the home.
> 
> Apparently (the councilors told us this) they have been harassing the farmer (who does indeed own the home) for ten years to do something about its dilapidated state. However, he hasn't returned their calls. I thought for a very long time during our research that he didn't own it - despite him claiming to on the phone after our friendly (no sarcasm) conversation.
> 
> Alas he does. Last time we spoke to him he said that he was in the beginning of "doing it up". I hope he does and I hope he restores it to its former glory. It is a home of great historic interest too.
> 
> We were quite disappointed when we read that his name was on the title deeds. Oh well! There will always be another one!
> 
> Again, thank you so much. This website is absolutely fantastic to a) look at the beauty of properties, whether they be ruinous or 'stuck in time' and b) for people like us who have a genuine passion for restoring old properties and making them into a family home again. Note, we are not evil property developers who would wish to split a home up into flats for a mean profit. Such sacrilege is unthinkable! Rather we have a modest budget and a lot of love, passion, taste and ambition!
> 
> It was a great adventure whilst it lasted! Keep up the good work!



Wow, what an interesting post my friend! 
The house is indeed in a very bad state, it didn't look to me like he was doing it up nor making any attempt to secure the place. It's a bit strange that he owns it too as I really didn't get that impression from they wa he spoke, very strange! 

Is there any chance of you buying the house off the gentleman or is he just not willing to sell up? 
You obviously have a passion for grand old buildings and I would love to see a gem like this brought back to life by someone like yourself! It will be such a shame if it gets into such a state it can't be saved.


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## Alexander1683

seaoflove said:


> Wow, what an interesting post my friend!
> The house is indeed in a very bad state, it didn't look to me like he was doing it up nor making any attempt to secure the place. It's a bit strange that he owns it too as I really didn't get that impression from they wa he spoke, very strange!
> 
> Is there any chance of you buying the house off the gentleman or is he just not willing to sell up?
> You obviously have a passion for grand old buildings and I would love to see a gem like this brought back to life by someone like yourself! It will be such a shame if it gets into such a state it can't be saved.



Well, despite having numerous reasons to believe that he doesn't own the property, his name is on the title deeds and they're legal documents.

He took a mortgage out on the home in 2010. How he got a mortgage on a house in such a state is beyond me! We're assuming that he's using this money to do up the property, but the estate the house is situated on has had some pockets of land sold off for quite a bit of money.

It's a bizarre one, but hey ho! Perhaps in a year's time I'll take the long drive from Edinburgh to its location and find out whether he has done anything or not.

He was very defensive on the phone at first. He asked if we were property developers in a feisty tone, but as soon as he knew we wanted to make it into a family home he was far warmer.

What age was this farmer? He sounded as if he was in his 40s on the phone.


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## Ha.zel

Alexander1683 said:


> Well, despite having numerous reasons to believe that he doesn't own the property, his name is on the title deeds and they're legal documents.
> 
> He took a mortgage out on the home in 2010. How he got a mortgage on a house in such a state is beyond me! We're assuming that he's using this money to do up the property, but the estate the house is situated on has had some pockets of land sold off for quite a bit of money.
> 
> It's a bizarre one, but hey ho! Perhaps in a year's time I'll take the long drive from Edinburgh to its location and find out whether he has done anything or not.
> 
> He was very defensive on the phone at first. He asked if we were property developers in a feisty tone, but as soon as he knew we wanted to make it into a family home he was far warmer.
> 
> What age was this farmer? He sounded as if he was in his 40s on the phone.



Haha I wonder what he would have said if he knew you had found it on this forum, from the very intruders he came across  

Well the inside doesn't seem to have changed at all from previous reports on this forum. If he did buy it in 2010 it doesn't look as if he has started yet. Very strange! If I had my hands on that house I would probably become obsessed with making it look fantastic again.


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## whitelaw

Shame that people always seem to think the worst of others - but then thats the world we live in thanks to the chavs, pikeys and others who will smash up or rob anything that isnt nailed down. 

It's a shame that urb-exing can't be regulated in some way with a charter of standards for members so that we can explore with some credentials. Maybe the world isnt ready for it yet, but hey its a thought.

Nice post - sorry you got scared though.


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## krela

whitelaw said:


> It's a shame that urb-exing can't be regulated in some way with a charter of standards for members so that we can explore with some credentials. Maybe the world isnt ready for it yet, but hey its a thought.



Try the National Trust or English Heritage. :skeptical:


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## Fury161

great stuff, shame the farmer turned up when he did, if you ever go back you got to see whats at the bottom of them stairs? there's a place like this near me, old farm house, looking on google it looks like there could be 2 farm houses on the same site, has been empty for a few years, no one know anything about it or why it's empty. just got to plan my route first!


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## darbians

This is great. I really like the tones on some of the images. The oval hallway looks like they packed for departure, but never returned to collect.


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## LairdOfLochaber

It's odd that he said, "This is someone's home." If he had said, "This is someone's property," I would understand. However, it's clear that no one is living here? If it still is someone's home, perhaps that someone is elderly and being cared for elsewhere? Or, perhaps it's tied up in an estate settlement & the heirs can't agree? Mysterious.


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## Ha.zel

Fury161 said:


> great stuff, shame the farmer turned up when he did, if you ever go back you got to see whats at the bottom of them stairs? there's a place like this near me, old farm house, looking on google it looks like there could be 2 farm houses on the same site, has been empty for a few years, no one know anything about it or why it's empty. just got to plan my route first!



I'm not sure I would risk it just yet, don't fancy getting caught again. Perhaps though! 
Ohhh get down there! I can't wait to see what you will find!


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## Ha.zel

darbians said:


> This is great. I really like the tones on some of the images. The oval hallway looks like they packed for departure, but never returned to collect.



Cheers!  
It was absolutely full of stuff, as was the hallway off the entrance. It boggles the mind! 
I thought that too Laird, the way he was speaking was as if he did not own the house. Apparently the title deeds are in his name though... it's a strange one. I would love to know the details.


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## outlawz

omg omg wow amazing


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## Alexander1683

I may phone this farmer again in a few months time, perhaps two. He said he was going to phone me back but never did. As for other people visiting, though I'd like to discourage you from doing so... if you're going to, please, if you encounter the farmer who I will not name, tell us what he says? His name is alas on the title deeds, though. Hopefully he is, as he said to me, in the beginning of doing it up. He inherited it from his grandfather.


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## krela

To be honest it's none of our business what the farmer does or doesn't do or intend to do with it, and it's not business that should be on a public forum.


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## Alexander1683

Indeed. However, I acquired his contact details with a view of buying his property. I am far from being an intruder, which in many cases I would condemn.


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## krela

Then keep it between the two of you, it has nothing to do with this website.


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## Alexander1683

Actually it does: I found this home on this website. I told my fellow members on here the story because it's one of intrigue, and I thought that by telling them that someone does indeed own it and that they're restoring it they won't intrude on the property.


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## urbex13

Seven and Eight and beautiful shots (they all are though), it's my dream to find something quite as full as this, good find and very well documented!


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