Home > New Search > Aigas House
Aigas House 
A-gas ("A" rhymes with hay)
Crask of Aigas, Highlands, Scotland
Status: Fully Extant
A-gas ("A" rhymes with hay)
Crask of Aigas, Highlands, Scotland
Status: Fully Extant
Special Info / Location/ Date
Special Info
Phonetic Pronunciation of House Name
A-gas ("A" rhymes with hay)
Location
Country
Scotland
District Today
Highlands
Historic County
Invernessshire
City / Town / Village
Crask of Aigas
Latitude
57.444495
Longitude
-4.554704
Date
Start Date
Completion Date
Circa Date
Images
We're sorry, this house does not currently have any images available to
illustrate it. Please check back often
- we are always updating the Database. If you have an image
of this or any other house, send it to us! Please make
sure any images submitted are copyright cleared, and send them to
us: Click Here to Email Us
Architects
There are no architects associated with this house.
Extant / Listed / References
Extant
Extant Type
Fully Extant
Extant Details
Listed
House Listed As
Grade B
Gardens Listed As
Unknown
On SAVE Britain's Heritage's List of Buildings at Risk
No
Country House: Yes
References
Vitruvius Britannicus
Vitruvius Scoticus
J.B. Burke (Burke's Visitation of Seats)
Country Life
J.P. Neale (Neale's Views of Seats)
Access / Ownership / Seat
Access
Open to Public Please note: Houses listed as being open "By Appointment" are usually country house hotels or B&Bs.
Grounds Only
Historic Houses Association Member
Phone Number If calling from the U.S., delete the first "0" in British numbers.
014630782-443
Fax Number
01463-782-097
Email
Website
Awards
Current Ownership
Current Ownership Type
Individual / Family Trust
Primary Current Ownership Use
Private Home
Current Ownership Use / Details
The grounds are the home of the Aigas Field Centre.
Seat ("Seat" is loosely defined
as any family that occupied the house for a period of 2 years or more)
Today Seat of
Sir John Lister-Kaye
A Past Seat(s) of
Fraser family, 18th century. Gordon-Oswald family, 19th century.
Possible (Unsure) Seat of
History / Gardens & Park / Movies
History
Earlier House(s) / Building(s)
There is evidence of Bronze Age housing on the site. An earlier house, probably 17th century, was demolished in 1746.
House Replaced By
Built / Designed For
House & Family History
The Aigas Estate includes the remains of Bronze Age settlements, though the first documented house was burned and razed to the ground in 1746 by the Duke of Cumberland’s troops during the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden, during which the owners of Aigas, the Fraser family (who were Jacobites), were murdered in their beds by Cumberland’s troops. In 1760 a new house (the core of which exists today) was built on the foundations of the old house. By the mid-19th century the Gordon-Oswald family (Glasgow shipping merchants) owned Aigas and a surrounding estate of 20,000 acres. In 1877 the Gordon-Oswalds built a large addition to the Georgian house, while simultaneously creating a model sporting estate for deer stalking, grouse shooting, and salmon fishing. After the Second World War Aigas fell into a neglected state; it changed owners repeatedly, eventually being divided into small living units. In the 1950s the House was requisitioned by the Inverness-shire County Council for use as elder housing, a purpose it served until 1971, when it was closed and left empty. By 1975 Aigas was considered unsafe and plans were prepared to demolish it. In 1976 John Lister-Kaye, a noted naturalist, purchased the Estate and started the first field studies center for the Highlands, a function Aigas serves to this day (2008), winning international awards for environmental education and serving as Scotland’s premier field center. In 1988 Sir John added the West Wing in a Neo-Georgian style.
Collections
This field lists art objects that are currently or were previously in the collection of the house.
For information on the history of British currency, click here. To use a chart that allows you to compare the purchasing power of money In Great Britain from 1264 to any other year, including the present, click here. To use a currency conversion to see the current value of the British pound, click here.
For information on the history of British currency, click here. To use a chart that allows you to compare the purchasing power of money In Great Britain from 1264 to any other year, including the present, click here. To use a currency conversion to see the current value of the British pound, click here.
Comments
Gardens & Park
Garden, Park, Follies and Outbuildings
Chapel & Church
Movies
Location for Movies / TV
"Johnny Goes To Scotland" (2007 - BBC TV documentary, with Johnny Kingdom). "Aigas: A Highland Wonder" (2007 - TV documentary).
Bibliography
There are no references associated with this house.
Related Resources
There are no documents associated with this house.
