A blaze-hit mansion once owned by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is to be restored as a visitor attraction – but black magic pilgrims will not be welcomed.
Boleskine House, near the shores of Loch Ness, in the Highlands, was owned by the rock legend from 1970 to 1992, but it was the site of occult rituals before that, with some people believing the disturbed spirits were never banished.
Occultist Aleister Crowley, who became known as “the real-life Wicker Man” is believed to have practised black magic there between 1899 and 1933 – including spending six months trying to raise his Guardian Angel.
The eerie B-listed property has reportedly been the site of mysterious and unexplained events, as well as being a magnet for fans of Crowley
–and targeted by firebugs.
Last year it was bought by academic Keith Readdy and his wife Kyra but was destroyed by a fire months later.
Mr Readdy, a researcher in comparative religion and author of a book on Crowley’s legacy, is a trustee of the Boleskine House Foundation, which has put forward plans to rebuild the 18th Century property and open out parts of it to visitors.
The foundation insisted it will not become a place of “pilgrimage and ritual” for people with “nefarious” interests – but hopes to restore the building to its original form as built by Lord Lovat, chief of the Fraser
of Lovat.
Guided tours of the mansion, which was gutted by fire in 2019
and 2015, will be offered.
Ten eco-cabins are planned to be built into the hillside, with large circular windows to form “Hobbit huts”, for visitors based near Loch Ness to enjoy the countryside.
A statement from the foundation to planning chiefs said: “The planning application, of course, is of public interest because this is Aleister Crowley’s former home.
“As historians and bastions of heritage conservation, our take on Aleister Crowley is not one of sensationalism or alarmist conjecture as many will find in the popular press, but rather academic in nature, seeing Crowley as a historical and cultural figure of his time.”
In a letter to Highland Council’s planning officials, the foundation said the house’s previous owners were part of the Boleskine House story but did not “directly influence its future use”.
The letter added: “There is no intention for the house to become
a place of pilgrimage or ritual, nefarious or otherwise.
“Indeed, such matters are strictly prohibited by the Foundation’s constitution, and it could not undertake such actions in any event as it would be a breach of Scottish charities law.”
The historic environment conservation team at Highland Council have supported the restoration given the listed building was at “considerable risk
of being lost”.
A statement said: “In this case, the proposal seeks a faithful, conservation-led restoration of the building, based on historical research, with a small number of sensitive alterations.”
Crowley, born in Royal Leamingston Spa, Warwickshire in 1875, was
an occultist, writer and mountaineer who rejected Christian doctrine and established Thelema. Calling himself a prophet, he said he would be the one to guide humanity into the so-called Aeon of Horus - an age of spiritual interest and self-realisation.
Crowley, who bought Boleskine in 1900, conducted various black magic rituals at the house including a six-month long experiment to raise his Guardian Angel. It is said the experiment was not properly completed, with the spirits raised never fully banished leading to a number of unexplained events at Boleskine.
He died at the age of 72 in Hastings, East Sussex in 1947.
The application to Highland Council added: “In addition to this, we have put in a planning application to build 10 cabins which will be sunken into the hillside with grass roofs. The cabins are designed as a form of ‘Hobbit hut’ with a large circular window and are designed to be hidden in the landscape.
“The intention is for these eco-cabins to be available for tourists and families who would like to visit the Highlands for a holiday to enjoy the Loch Ness area and for walking and cycling holidays."
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