The Boleskine House Foundation is a not-for-profit Scottish charitable incorporated organisation established 26 August 2019 to restore and maintain the Boleskine House estate, a category B listed building, with the goal of historic conservation, preserving Scottish heritage and the improvement of the local economy.[1]
The Boleskine House Foundation SCIO | |
 | |
| Legal status | Not-for-profit Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the OSCR |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage of the Boleskine House estate |
| Location | |
| Services | Once restored, the estate will be opened to the public for the purposes of heritage, education, health and wellness |
| Website | www |
Background
editBoleskine House, notable for its association with Aleister Crowley and Jimmy Page, and situated on the banks of Loch Ness, Scotland, suffered extensive fire damage in December 2015, and was placed on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland in 2018.[2][3][4] In April 2019, the estate was divided into four lots and put up for sale.[5][6] Kyra & Keith Readdy purchased lots one and three. Most of Lot one was then given to the charity in late 2019. On 7 May 2020 the charity then purchased the “lot 2” lands which comprise the former coach house, piggery and grazing land.[7][8]
Having purchased the site, the Readdys set up the foundation in August 2019, with the aim of preserving the building and estate.[9][10][11] Keith Readdy is a researcher in comparative religion and modern and contemporary Western esotericism.[12][13] Keith Readdy is now chairman of the charity and runs it alongside an independent board of trustees. Kyra Readdy has stepped back from active involvement with the charity to focus on family life.[citation needed]
One week after the purchase, a second fire broke out at the house, in an event which was reported at the time as a suspected arson.[14][15] In a bid to raise funds to restore the property, the foundation sold bags of fire-damaged rubble from the house on eBay.[16][17]
Aims
edit
The Foundation's stated aims are to restore Boleskine House and its gardens, reflecting its history as a Jacobean and Georgian hunting lodge.[18] In 2019 and 2020, the Foundation stated its wish to open the house to the public once the restoration reaches completion, including guided tours of the principal rooms of the house and the surrounding gardens, and an on-site library focused on local Scottish history and Western esotericism.[19][20]
Despite the site's spiritual and religious associations, the Foundation is a secular organisation.[21] However, the Foundation has stated that it wishes to engage with the spiritual importance of the property, from its early Christian history as a parish church, to its significance to Thelema.[22][23][24][25]
Funding and restoration
editThe Foundation is dependent upon donations, fundraising and volunteers.[26][27][28][29][30] In January 2020 the Foundation reported that they were 25% toward their crowdfunding target and intended to put in a planning application the same year, with the aim of opening the main rooms of the house to the public in 2022.[31] The total cost of rebuilding the house was reported to be around £700,000.[32] Planning permission and listed building consent to rebuild was obtained in December 2020 and work has now begun on site to rebuild.
References
edit- ^ "Charity Details Boleskine House Foundation". Scottish Charity Regulator. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "Firefighters called to historic house". BBC News. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Black magic ruin placed on a list of historic buildings under threat". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Boleskine House New Fire Rips Through Aleister Crowlery's Former Home". BBC News. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Notorious Boleskine House Goes on the Market". PressAndJournal. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "Boleskine House". OnTheMarket. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "Kyra Readdy – Boleskine House". Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Update on Boleskine House Arson". The Wild Hunt Pagan News and Perspectives. 2019-08-29. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Our Trustees". Boleskine House Foundation. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "T.H.O.T.H Special Supplement" (PDF). Two Horizons. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ Readdy, Kyra and Keith (December 2019). "Introducing the Boleskine House Foundation - Founders Message". 1: 3.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Alumni". Universiteit van Amsterdam. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Keith Readdy". Boleskine House Foundation. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- ^ Bennett, Gabriella. "Fire at occultist's former home devastates owner". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Fire destroys former home of occultist Aleister Crowley in 'suspected arson attack'". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Charred remains of notorious black magic Boleskine House sold for £20 a bag on eBay". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ McCann, David. "Rubble from Aleister Crowley's Boleskine House sold at £49 a Bag". The Times. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- ^ LDN Architects Llp, Boleskine House: A Feasibility, revised 10 January 2020, 3
- ^ Readdy, Kyra and Keith (December 2019). "The Boleskine House Foundation SCIO's Mission and Vision". Boleskine. 1: 4.
- ^ "Followers of Occultist Aleister Crowley to be Welcomed Back to His Former Highland Home". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "T.H.O.T.H Special Supplement" (PDF). Two Horizons. p. 11. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ Readdy, Kyra and Keith (December 2019). "The Boleskine House Foundation SCIO's Mission and Vision". Boleskine. 1: 6.
- ^ "News From International Headquarters". Ordo Templi Orientis. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ Wiseman, Andrew (December 2019). "The Centre of a Thousand Legends: A Short History of Boleskine House". Boleskine. 1: 12.
- ^ Hellkvist, Martin (December 2019). "A Personal View of the First Clearance Event". Boleskine. 1: 17.
- ^ "Saving Notorious Occult House One Brick at a Time". The Herald. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "Boleskine House Foundation Offers Charred Remains of Historic Building For Sale on Ebay". Singular Fortean. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- ^ "Update Crowley's Boleskine House". What Lies Beyond. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "Boleskine House Trustee Hopes Restoration will Dispel the Negative Rumours About Aleister Crowley". Singular Fortean. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "The Strange Story of Aleister Crowley's Loch Ness Retreat". The National. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "Fire-ravaged house to rise from ashes as new plans unveiled". STV News. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Remains of infamous Boleskine House offered for sale online". Inverness Courier. 3 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-01-03. Retrieved 5 February 2020.