Scottish island famous for Sixties murder, yours for just £325,000
IT IS not often that a murder is mentioned in an estate agent’s brochure. But then it is hard to avoid the unfortunate events that once took place on a small Scottish island so sleepy it is completely off-grid.
Little Ross, in Dumfries and Galloway, has been put up for sale for £325,000, the price of a two-bedroom flat in Edinburgh, and could provide a beautiful sanctuary for anyone willing to overlook its history.
Boasting sweeping views of the open seas, the Isle of Man and the Lake District, the island has its own pebble beach, jetty and natural harbour.
It includes a six-bedroom, B-listed cottage and courtyard next to an operational lighthouse tower, which is not included in the sale.
The rugged island, measuring 29 acres, attracted attention of a different kind back in 1960, when the body of the interim lighthouse keeper was found dead.
Two visitors got more than they bargained for when they sailed over to the island for a day of exploring.
Finding it completely deserted, the pair began to feel uneasy and soon came upon the lifeless body of Hugh Clark in the assistant keeper’s house. Following a manhunt, his colleague, assistant keeper Robert Dickson, was arrested and was convicted of murder.
Dickson was sentenced to death by hanging but was given a reprieve days before his execution in December 1960. He killed himself in prison two years later, having never explained his motive.
On the island, solar panels and a wind turbine provide power to the house but the property is entirely “off grid” so a potential owner planning to spend any amount of time there would require a backup energy source.
The water supply is spring fed and there is bottled gas for cooking.
Estate agent Galbraith says there is no longer a phone line and that the buyer would have to be a proficient sailor and would need a boat or helicopter to reach the island.