Hidden deep in woodland in Glenisla, you would never know Bellaty Lodge existed.
Built in the early 1900s for the Dowager Lady Kinloch, today the huge mansion lies in ruins.
That doesn’t mean it’s lost all its grandeur: what remains of Bellaty stands proudly, if a little forlornly.
I drove deep into the heart of Glenisla on a mission to explore the decaying shooting lodge for the first time last week.
I’d driven past it countless times, but had no clue it was there, just a few minutes’ walk from the B951 running through the glen.
Tricky to find Bellaty Lodge?
Having seen a post about it on social media, I was determined to track it down. And tracking it down turned out to be my first stumbling block.
Without giving too much away – because finding such hidden gems for yourself is a huge part of the appeal – I hit the jackpot after a botched first attempt.
Here’s a hint – don’t type ‘Bellaty’ into Google Maps and expect to find it. There’s a farm called Bellaty and that is certainly not the old shooting lodge.
There’s a derelict house close to the farm, too, but I wouldn’t advise exploring that.
It’s in a seriously precarious condition, and there are gates, fences and scratchy bushes galore to put off would-be explorers.
Suffice to say, I found Bellaty Lodge not too far away, and my goodness, what a feast for the eyes.
What’s special about the ruin?
It’s an enormous, roofless shell, but there are loads of fascinating features.
I was drawn to the building’s many fireplaces, some on upper levels and full of birds’ nests, a curious wooden shed, a rusting fire grate, and fallen bricks, marked ‘Muir Armadale’.
I also located the stone steps at the front of the house, although they’re completely overgrown.
And outside, I almost tripped over an old, strange-looking metal bucket with holes in it.
The lodge has been pretty much reclaimed by nature: huge trees have taken root within, and nettles dominate. I was stung numerous times.
So what’s the history of Bellaty Lodge?
It was constructed for the Dowager Lady Kinloch – the widow of Lord Kinloch – in the early 1900s.
A story in The Courier on May 23, 1904, reported that she was building a shooting lodge on her “recently bought estate of Bellaty”.
It’s thought she left the lodge around 1916, when the entire contents were sold at various public auctions over the following years.
A report in The Courier on June 3, 1919, stated that she sold Bellaty Lodge to Mr L. R. Melville, of Melville & Graham, solicitors, Dundee and Errol.
The estate came complete with “splendid shooting” and the fishing of nearby Auchentaple Loch.
Lavish contents auctioned off
The following month, a report told how the lodge’s furniture and furnishings – belonging to Lady Kinloch – were to be sold on July 7, 1919, in Alyth Town Hall.
Among the contents included: a piano in a black ebony case, a rosewood bookcase, mahogany chairs, tables, desks and knife boxes, a Persian carpet, an oak dinner wagon, Duchess chests, a butter churn, a typewriter, various garden tools and machinery, milk ‘luggies’, plus trunks, handbags, and leather travel luggage.
Following the sale, a report said: “There was keen competition, and good prices were realised. The drawing-room carpet brought £49.”
Bellaty was then sold to new owners, the Nicols.
One of the family members, Miss Anne Nicol, featured in the local news after attending a society dance in Kirriemuir in January 1922.
She was described as a “charming” member of the party, “whose red golden hair was prettily set off by her graceful frock of soft cream chiffon over gold tissue”.
Parties at Bellaty
Also reported in January 1922 was a New Year party, held by the Nicol family at Bellaty, and attended by friends.
The staging of the “humorous” plays of Mechanical Jane and Cinderella were said to have cause “great merriment”.
Meanwhile, guests were also treated to “splendid dancing exhibitions”.
In January 1925, the Nicols held a whist drive and dance during which “about 40 ladies and gentlemen sat down to a pleasant tea”.
Highland fling, sword dances and fortune telling were also included in the entertainment.
Rented to shooting parties
However, in the 1930s and 40s, Bellaty was rented out to tenants during the shooting and fishing seasons, complete with linen, cutlery, plates and maids “if desired”.
Adverts in newspapers offered those who rented it an “exceedingly comfortable” house, with access to unlimited trout fishing and 350 acres of shooting.
I’ll be honest though – I don’t think Bellaty Lodge was the most beautiful building.
I managed to find an old photo of it in its heyday via Angus Archives (we can’t use this here, alas), and my goodness, it was, in my humble opinion, borderline ugly.
The architecture of Bellaty
Essentially, it was a two-storey, flat-roofed, rectangular block coated in white render, with a three-storey ‘tower’ stuck on to a rear corner.
It boasted 18 rooms, including five public rooms, seven bedrooms and two bathrooms – plus a garage.
The views would have been stunning – down to the River Isla and across the glen.
Those views still exist, although they’ve become obscured by trees and out-of-control vegetation.
Alas, Bellaty was only in use for just over half a century.
Dismantled and gutted by fire
Dundee-based demolition company Charles Brand dismantled it in 1954, with roof slates, floorboards, fireplaces and woodwork salvaged and sold.
It was then used for agricultural storage – and it was being used to store straw when a fire ripped through it in August 1986.
Firefighters were there for almost 24 hours carrying out “damping operations”.
It continues to fall further into decay and it might not be long before another chimney pot crashes to the ground, or an entire wall collapses.
It may be fading into obscurity but it still bears faint echoes of the past.
It’s fascinating to imagine the lives of those who lived here – and who enjoyed Bellaty’s lavish parties and entertainment.
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