How a sleepy Scottish hotel is at the heart of intrigue over Scotland’s nuclear threat
● Chinese-run hotel ‘perfect listening post’
Asleepyscottishcountryhotel has found itself at the centre of international intrigue after it was named as a potential enemy’s “perfect listening post” for the UK’S nuclear deterrent.
The Rosslea House Hotel sits on a quiet lane in Argyll and Bute, with the waters of the Firth of Clyde lapping just yards away from its bars and restaurants.
But the peaceful location – in the village of Rhu – lies within one of the most sensitive military zones in Britain, just four miles from the home of the country’s nuclear submarines at the Faslane naval base.
A new book that looks into how foreign governments buy properties close to military facilities has included Rosslea Hall in a list of interesting building purchases in places as diverse as San Diego in California, and Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory.
What has piqued the interest of author David Kilcullen in his new book The Dragons and the Snakes is that the three people listed as the new directors of the hotel are all Chinese or resident in China.
Mr Kilcullen writes: “Almost from the moment they cast off, submarines in Gare Loch are in direct visual and electronic line of sight from Rosslea Hall.
“They must pass within 300 yards of the hotel, navigating the narrow channel between Rhu, on the eastern shore, and the industrial town of Rosneath, on the west.”
He says this would provide the vessels’ “time of departure, location, speed and heading to any watcher on shore as they transit the bottleneck”. Mr Kilcullen, 53, says this makes Rosslea Hall Hotel the “perfect listening post”.
It was reported in The Caterer magazine in May 2018 that Rosslea Hall had been sold for a guide price of around £2 million to Chinese investors Victoria Xu Hotels. At the time, Tom Xu, described as the managing director, said: “We are delighted to acquire Rosslea Hall as our first hotel asset in the UK.
“We will continue the business as usual and work alongside the team in delivering the next, and better, chapter of the Rosslea Hall Hotel.”
The establishment holds an AA Rosette for dining excellence and has become a popular wedding venue.
Things seem reassuringly Scottish in the Glen Fruin lounge bar, with its tartancovered sofas and an appeal on the counter, asking customers to support the endangered Rhu and Shandon Church.
The only taste of the Orient visible here is the tempura battered king prawns on toasted sesame bread, with sweet chilli dip on the menu (£5.95). Locals insist there is no need for a prominent listening station to know when the submarines come and go.
One said: “The Helensburgh taxi drivers all know their comings-and-goings.
“The girls in the supermarkets know because the navy wives come in for cases of Stella Artois.”
Mr Kilcullen goes to great lengths to stress there is no evidence that anyone in the hotel is connected to Chinese intelligence.
He says: “Nor am I implying that any individual or firm had taken part in, or was planning to engage in, nefarious activity of any kind. There is no evidence for that whatsoever.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said: “The MOD takes the security of its personnel and establishments very seriously, but we do not comment on specific security arrangements or procedures.” The hotel management declined to comment.
“Almost from the moment they cast off, submarines in Gare Loch are in direct visual and electronic line of sight from Rosslea Hall”
DAVID KILCULLEN