The ancient ruins of an old village on the edge of Loch Tay said to be haunted by a 17th century soothsayer are available for sale.
The Old Village of Lawers is set in stunning Highland scenery on the north shore of Loch Tay and has remarkable historic and romantic connections including, reputedly, its own ghost.
For sale for offers over £125,000, the three-acre site includes a private beach in an area of natural beauty, semi-ancient native woodland, riparian trout fishing rights and water frontage.
The ruins, which together form a Scheduled Ancient Monument, include Old Lawers Church built in 1669, a mill, a kiln and the House of Lawers (the laird’s house), which is said to stand on the site of an earlier house razed to the ground by the Marquis of Montrose in 1645. The house’s last occupant was the Lady of Lawers, believed to haunt the village still.
She is remembered for various prophecies, some of which appear to have come true. She claimed that the ridging stones for the church brought from Kenmore by boat would never be put in place. They were left on the shore for the next day but that night a storm blew up and the stones were washed away; they were not recovered.
Having planted an ash tree at the northern end of the church, she made a number of predictions about it, one of which stated that when it grew to the height of the spire, the church would fall. When it reached that height, the church was so badly damaged in a thunderstorm it was never used again.
Additionally, when she referred to ‘fire-coaches’ crossing the Drumochter Pass, she is said to have predicted the coming of the railway and long before the construction of steamships, she she talked about ‘a ship driven by smoke’.
The Old Village of Lawers
The open ground between the monuments formed the ‘in-field’, historically farmed by the villagers. Historic Environment Scotland describes the site as ‘an upstanding and well-preserved example of a deserted settlement’. The ruins largely date to the 17th century although there is evidence of a settlement at Lawers before 1473. The 1841 census lists 17 people living in the Old Village and it was abandoned early in the 20th century.
Jon Lambert, partner at Goldcrest Land and Forestry Group, said: ‘This is an extremely rare opportunity to buy a part of Scotland’s heritage in one of the most beautiful places in the country. The sale offers a unique chance to be the owner and custodian of an area wonderfully rich in history, romance and tradition.
‘The Old Village of Lawers also offers fabulous amenity. The owners can launch a boat on the loch and enjoy fishing, picnicking and camping. It is a very special site.’
For further details please contact Jon Lambert at Goldcrest Land & Forestry Group on 0131 378 6122 or email office@goldcrestlfg.com.
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