Estate Manager

Andy explained that he had been the estate manager for about 6 years. We walked past his house. He pointed out that he had supervised the renovation of a house across the bridge from the island that the family lived in while the new house was being built. After it was finished, that renovated temporary home was torn down. We continued down the lane that was hugged with dry stone wall on one side and closely spaced Beech trees on the other. We turned the bend, and there it was. All I could immediately ask was, “How many fire places does that have?” The number of chimneys was astounding. Seventeen! We continued around the bend and over a relatively short bridge that crossed the fast moving river. The exterior was understated in a way that made me think that there must be much more beyond the eyes of visitors that are on the road. The land around the mansion was gorge like and adorned with beautiful Rhododendron blooms. There were tall trees everywhere. No wonder I couldn’t see anything from across the river up by Crask of Aigas. We continued past the mansion to a white lodge. It sits a distance beyond the mansion and is separated by woods. Andy had also supervised the restoration of the lodge that dates from the 1400‘s. He mentioned that it was built by a Fraser family who were supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie. I relayed my information about a family of Frasers who were Jacobites and whose house was raised and family murdered in this area during the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden. He said that family had lived in the surrounding area and not on the island.