Boleskine House – Inverness, Scotland

Probably the most notable (or notorious) building along the south side of Loch Ness lies, half hidden behind the trees, approximately midway between Foyers and Inverfarigaig. This is Boleskine House.
I spent two consecutive investigation visits within this abandoned burnt out shell. Two hours at dusk one night and three hours a little earlier the second day. The first visit was just as the sun was going down. The lighting wasn’t sufficient, so I had to rely on my torch.
Boleskine House is a manor on the south-east side of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is notable for having been the home of author and occultist Aleister Crowley, and Led Zeppelin guitarist and producer Jimmy Page. It suffered significant fire damage in December 2015.
According to legend, it is built atop the ruins of a 10th century church that burnt to the ground during a service, killing all the congregants inside. The house looks over Boleskine Cemetery at the foot of the hill, which has long been the site of misdeeds and occult happenings.
Unexplained (and unconfirmed) stories of strange goings-on during Crowley’s residence at Boleskine House are legion. There are tales of people dying or mysteriously disappearing. Even of a butcher who chopped his own hand off after receiving a meat order from Crowley which had been inadvertently scrawled on the back of a piece of paper containing a spell. Part of the Abramelin ritual involves summoning a number of demons and subduing them. Crowley believed some of these demons had run amok locally, “terrifying the natives.” The local people learned to steer clear of Boleskine, taking lengthy detours in order to avoid it.
Crowley himself, never one to admit a mistake, even conceded that the rituals he had performed at Boleskine House had gotten out of hand.
There are rumours of a tunnel from the cellars of the house to the burial ground which lies below the house by the loch side. Little wonder that local people would make long detours to avoid passing the house. I could not find any evidence to confirm the tunnel rumours.
Aleister Crowley is one of the most infamous figures in British history. During his early twentieth century heyday the occultist and seeker after esoteric truths was dubbed “the most evil man in Britain” by the popular press, denounced as a Satanist and black magician.
Aleister Crowley bought Boleskine House in 1899 to seclude himself and perform rituals. It was during his time at Boleskine that Crowley became famous for his spiritualism and black magic practices, both around the Scotland and later, the world.
First, Crowley’s housekeeper’s 10-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son died mysteriously and abruptly. Crowley also bragged that one employee of the estate who had long abstained from alcohol got drunk and attempted to murder his entire family. After the house had changed hands, it still wasn’t free of dark energy. In 1965, the army major who owned the house committed suicide by shotgun.
After Crowley’s departure, the building fell into decay, though in the 1970s it was bought and restored by the legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist and reputed Crowley obsessive, Jimmy Page. Boleskine House even featured in the Led Zeppelin video, The Song Remains the Same. In the 1990s, the building was sold again. Later owners dismissed any notions of hauntings or witchcraft at the house, but tragedy continued to strike.

In 2015, the residents of the house returned to find the house completely in flames. There were no injuries, as the house was totally empty when it ignited.
A fascinating location.  – Mark

 

One comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *