Haunted village on the market for £100,000

Lawers on the shores of Loch Tay provides a unique opportunity to own a fascinating piece of heritage – and a ghost

The haunted ruins of an ancient village on the shores of Perthshire’s Loch Tay are for sale for offers over £100,000.

The old village of Lawers offers a unique opportunity to acquire a deserted, ruined lochside village with many romantic and historical associations – complete with a ghost.

The most notable connection is to a soothsayer, the Old Lady of Lawers, who predicted the coming of the railway and the construction of steam ships and is now believed to haunt the site.

Jon Lambert, of selling agent John Clegg & Co, said: “An opportunity such as this to acquire part of Scotland’s historical heritage in what many believe to be the most beautiful part of the country arises very rarely.

“The word ‘unique’ is overused but there can be very few times when it is so appropriate as with this chance to be the owner and custodian of an area so rich in history, romance and tradition.”

The three-acre site comprises ruins – Scheduled Ancient Monuments (protected) – at each end with an ‘in-field’ in between, on which the villagers farmed.

The ruins of the House of Lawers, at the western end, are said to stand on the site of an earlier house razed to the ground by the Marquis of Montrose in 1645.

Also in the western part is the remains of Lawers Kirk, which dates from 1669.

The ruined buildings to the east include a mill and a kiln, evocative of an early modern settlement on the banks of the loch and the edge of the stream which powered the mill.

“It is easy to imagine the life of the little community with the peat smoke rising from the fires,” said Mr Lambert.

The 1841 census suggests that there may have been 17 people living by the loch in the old village. By 1891 there were only seven people, all of whom lived in the pier master’s house which was abandoned in 1926.

The open ground between the two ruins runs down to the water’s edge and provides views of the loch and an area where the proprietors can fish for trout, picnic or camp.

The new owners will need to work with Historic Environment Scotland in safeguarding the ruins and grants may be available. The area is also subject to a conservation agreement with the National Trust of Scotland, which would need to approve any work undertaken on site.

Due to the very special nature of the site, Perth and Kinross Council is unlikely to support an application for the erection of a conventional property and, in response to a pre-application inquiry, the planners have said they are more likely to consider a small building used intermittently for recreational accommodation.

It is stressed, however, that a formal application would be required in order to know whether permission would be given.

The pictures above show the beautiful views over Loch Tay provided by the village of Lawers and one of the village’s ruined buildings. Left: Our graphic shows its location in relation to the wider area.