What was once a lavish estate, Dunalastair House is now an unsettling sight.
Nestled 18 miles west of the town of Pitlochry are the remains of a structure resembling a large mansion or castle. While its been abandoned, over the years it has been a favourite spot amongst explorers and adventurers.
It looks like it has been forgotten about for centuries but not even 100 years ago it was a school for Polish children.
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As the Record reports, the story of Dunalastair Estate starts centuries ago with Clan Donnachaidh, also known as Clan Robertson, as it was originally owned by the Robertson family. The clan, who lived in and around the area, retained control of the estate until 1853, when it was sold by George Duncan Robertson, 18th Chief of Clan Donnachaidh, to General Sir John Macdonald of Dalchosnie.
According to the Dunalastair Estate website, Macdonald knocked down the house that stood on the site at the time and built his own—the remains of which you see today. A few decades later, the estate was sold by Alastair Macdonald, son of Sir John, to Hugh Tennent, the great-great-grandson of the founder of the Wellpark Brewery—now known as Tennent's Brewery.
The head of the brewing company only owned the estate for nine years until he died aged 27 in 1890. Just a year later, the house and the estate were sold to the Chairman of the Caledonian Railway Company, James Clark Bunten—the great-grandfather of the present owner.
However following the onset of the First World War, it became difficult to get staff to help run the grand house and it wasn't long until Dunalastair began to fall into decline.
A few decades later, during the Second World War, the estate saw a second life as a school for the children of Polish refugees.
But this was short-lived after a fire broke out and around the 1950s, the house’s contents and furniture were sold off.
Throughout the 60s, the estate was no longer being used and became a victim of vandalism. After lead was stolen from the roof, the property was left to rot.
Today, there have been many proposals to restore the once-majestic house. However, due to the high cost, nothing has come of them thus far.
More information can be found on the Dunalastair Estate website.
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