Aigas (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

: ''Àigeis'', meaning "Place of the Gap") is a small hamlet in the

Highland Council area Highland ( gd, A' Ghàidhealtachd, ; sco, Hieland) is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the 2011 census. It share ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It is 5 miles (8 km) southwest of

Beauly Beauly ( ; ; gd, A' Mhanachainn) is a village in the Highland area, on the River Beauly, west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. The town is historically within Kilmorack Parish of the Scottish County of Inverness. The land around Be ...

and 15 miles (24 km) west of

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

, on the north bank of the

River Beauly The River Beauly ( gd, Abhainn nam Manach, ) is a river in the Scottish Highlands, about 15 km west of the city of Inverness. It is about 25 km long, beginning near the village of Struy, at the confluence of the River Farrar and the ...

. Crask of Aigas is nearby, to the northeast. In the past, Aigas was divided into two parts, ''Easter'' and ''Wester Aigas.'' In 1580,

King James VI James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

granted both of these areas of land to Alexander Forbes of

Pitsligo Pitsligo was a coastal parish in the historic county of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, containing the fishing villages of Rosehearty, Pittulie and Sandhaven,

, a nobleman of

Clan MacFarlane Clan MacFarlane (Scottish Gaelic: Clann Phàrlain ) is a Highland Scottish clan. Descended from the medieval Earls of Lennox, the MacFarlanes occupied the land forming the western shore of Loch Lomond from Tarbet up-wards. From Loch Sloy, a s ...

and great-great-grandfather of

Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord Forbes of Pitsligo Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

. In 1610 however, ownership of the lands was again transferred by King James to

Simon Fraser, 6th Lord Lovat Simon Fraser, 6th Lord Lovat (1570–1633) was a Scottish courtier and landowner. Simon Fraser was the son of Hugh Fraser, 5th Lord Lovat and Elizabeth Stewart daughter of John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl. He was born on 13 April 1570. Biog ...

. The lands since passed down the male line of

Clan Fraser of Lovat Clan Fraser of Lovat ( gd, Friseal french: link=yes, Fraiser) is a Highland Scottish clan and the principal branch of Clan Fraser. The Frasers of Lovat are strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gaine ...

. Archaeological evidence shows settlements around the area of Aigas dating back to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

, with ancient dwellings made from local

whinstone Whinstone is a term used in the quarrying industry to describe any hard dark-coloured rock. Examples include the igneous rocks, basalt and dolerite, as well as the sedimentary rock, chert. Etymology The Northern English/Scots term ''whin'' is fi ...

. Nowadays, Aigas is home to a popular, 9-hole golf course, established in 1993, and is served by Teanassie Primary School. There is also a nearby

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

named after the hamlet, situated on the River Beauly.

House of Aigas (Aigas Field Centre)

The House of Aigas is a historic building within the hamlet, originally built as a tacksman's house during the

Georgian era The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the relatively short reign of Willi ...

, sometime around 1760. In the 1870s it was sold to a wealthy family of Glaswegian shipping merchants, and used as a hunting lodge. During the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

many additions were made in the

Scottish baronial style Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

, and a small arbotoreum was installed during the 1880s. Trees such as the giant sequia,

nootka cypress ''Callitropsis nootkatensis'', formerly known as ''Cupressus nootkatensis'' ( syn. ''Xanthocyparis nootkatensis'') is a species of trees in the cypress family native to the coastal regions of northwestern North America. This species goes by many ...

, and

western red cedar ''Thuja plicata'' is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to western North America. Its common name is western redcedar (western red cedar in the UK), and it is also called Pacific redcedar, giant arborvitae, w ...

were planted in the gardens. The house was again sold in the 1950s, becoming a council-run old folks' home before being abandoned in 1971. Sir John Lister-Kaye bought the house in 1976, after finding it on the verge of demolition. For over 40 years the celebrated English author and conservationist has lived in and run the estate, providing many much-needed renovations. Under his direction, Aigas Estate has become an important conservation centre known as the

Aigas Field Centre Aigas Field Centre is a nature centre based at the home of Natural history, naturalist and author John Lister-Kaye, Sir John Lister-Kaye, Aigas House. The centre was opened in 1977 by Ecology, ecologist Frank Fraser Darling, Sir Frank Fraser Dar ...

. The centre runs environmental education services, nature-based holidays, and a

Scottish wildcat The Scottish wildcat is a European wildcat (''Felis silvestris silvestris'') Population (biology), population in Scotland. It was once widely distributed across Great Britain, but the population has declined drastically since the turn of the 20th ...

breeding programme. Aigas has also been home to a family of

Eurasian beaver The Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber'') or European beaver is a beaver species that was once widespread in Eurasia, but was hunted to near-extinction for both its fur and castoreum. At the turn of the 20th century, only about 1,200 beavers survi ...

s since 2006. File:Aigas House - geograph.org.uk - 2486943.jpg, House of Aigas, viewed from its main drive File:Sign for Aigas golf course and holiday cottages - geograph.org.uk - 1533602.jpg, Signpost for Aigas golf course beside the

A831 road List of A roads in zone 8 in Great Britain starting north of the A8 and west of the A9 (roads beginning with 8). Single- and double-digit roads Triple-digit roads Four-digit roads See also * B roads in Zone 8 of the Great Britain number ...

, the main road running through the hamlet File:Aigas Power Station PH-1.jpg, Aigas power station, situated on the Beauly River

References

Populated places in Inverness committee area {{Highland-geo-stub