Early 1900’s Estate Sale Notice

“This sale would have been around 1908, after Edward, 2nd Lord Tweedmouth, died. He was already in financial trouble, and with the onerous death duties that would be imposed on his heir, selling was the best solution. Their friend Lord Portsmouth bought the estate, but sold off large parcels over the years and did not maintain it as it had been. If you have Donald Fraser’s booklet on Guisachan, that’s all covered.

Can you imagine– 29 bedrooms and only three bathrooms? There was no indoor plumbing as we know it; the maids had to carry gallons of water, hot and cold, up and down the stairs. Chamber pots were the common “convenience”, washing-up was done with a basin and ewer of water on the wash-stand in the dressing-room. The poor “tweenies” (between-stairs maids) had the job of scurrying about with every necessary item, up two flights of stairs from the basement to the bedroom floor and back again innumerable times. Or wherever they were sent by the Housekeeper. Of course they always used the back stairs, as the front stairs were reserved for the family and their guests.

The remains of the mansion that we see today are only a small part of the original house that Dudley Marjoribanks built. He tore down the old Fraser manse and built all new. You may have seen the architect’s drawings, which hung in the barroom at the Tomich Hotel. Since the house’s demise in 1939, all the stone and slate from the larger part of the house has been cannibalized for use elsewhere. Some is now part of the bridge in Drumnadrochit.”

~Marcia Schlehr

“The estate was bought by Lord Portsmouth, a friend of Edward Marjoribanks (2nd Lord Tweedmouth) who was in the government, as was Edward. . “Porty” was something of an eccentric, it was said. Was also a friend of Winston Churchill (who also was a frequent visitor as a young man– he was first cousin to Edward’s son). Portsmouth kept the estate mainly for sporting purposes. On occasion it was rented out to organizations such as a youth fitness group– who shocked the natives by swimming naked in the lochs!

In the late 1930s the mansion was sold to Lady Islington, who only wanted to get rid of what she considered undesirables renting the estate. To this end, and to avoid having to pay taxes, she had the roof removed, making the house uninhabitable and thus not subject to tax. All the interior furnishings and decorations had been removed and sold earlier. Later, the house was again sold and has passed through other owners.

The Home Farm is the portion of the estate now owned and occupied by Donald Fraser. He has done admirably keeping it up, and converting the huge steading (which once housed prize cattle) to vacation apartments for Tomich Holidays. His house was originally the home of the estate Manager.”

~Marcia Schlehr