Second world war mortar found at mansion set off

Bomb disposal experts have disarmed a mortar found in an outhouse at a mansion where Bonnie Prince Charlie had his headquarters.

The weapon, thought to date from the First or Second World War, was discovered when volunteers were clearing piles of junk from a chauffeur’s garage at A-listed Bannockburn House, near Stirling.

The property, where Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed before and after the Battle of Culloden, was purchased in a community buyout last year and is being tidied prior to renovation.

Volunteer co-ordinator Penny Ellis said: “I was picking up bits of rubble off the floor when I picked up a propeller type thing.

“I realised it wasn’t something that should be handled and very carefully put it back down again and stepped away.

“It had numerous fins on it with a cylinder attached. I’d say it was 8-10 inches long. It had clearly been there for a long time.

“It was only afterwards that it hit home that I could have set it off by picking it up.

“I had a look on the internet later on. I thought it might be a World War I device. I’m not sure if it’s World War II.

“Certainly, former occupants of the house had been involved in the First World War.”

Up to 4,000 people visited the property last year.

Chairman of the Trust that now owns the house, Alan Marshall, said: “You cannot take a chance with these things. Thankfully no one kicked it.”

Police cordoned off the scene before specialist engineers from the Explosives Ordnance Disposal attended, removed the mortar to a safe distance, and carried out a controlled explosion.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police in Forth Valley attended at Bannockburn House, near Stirling, on Thursday, after a member of the public discovered a piece of unexploded ordnance. The military grade mortar was found in an outhouse.”