The Boleskine House Foundation is a not-for-profit Scottish charitable incorporated organisation established 26 August 2019 to restore and maintain the

Boleskine House The Boleskine House ( gd, Taigh Both Fhleisginn) is a manor on the south-east side of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is notable for having been the home of author and occultist Aleister Crowley, and Led Zeppelin guitarist and producer J ...

estate, a category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, with the goal of historic conservation, preserving Scottish heritage and the improvement of the local economy.

Background

Boleskine House, notable for its association with Aleister Crowley and

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

, 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 The Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland records buildings of national architectural or historic interest which are considered to be under threat. The list is maintained by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). The register was established in 1 ...

in 2018. In April 2019, the estate was divided into four lots and put up for sale. 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. Having purchased the site, the Readdys set up the foundation in August 2019, with the aim of preserving the building and estate. Keith Readdy is a researcher in comparative religion and modern and contemporary

Western esotericism Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

. 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. 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. In a bid to raise funds to restore the property, the foundation sold bags of fire-damaged rubble from the house on eBay.

Aims

The Foundation's stated aims are to restore Boleskine House and its gardens, reflecting its history as a Jacobean and Georgian hunting lodge. 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

. Despite the site's spiritual and religious associations, the Foundation is a secular organisation. 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 A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

, to its significance to Thelema.

Funding and restoration

The Foundation is dependent upon donations, fundraising and volunteers. 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. The total cost of rebuilding the house was reported to be around £700,000. Planning permission and listed building consent to rebuild was obtained in December 2020 and work has now begun on site to rebuild.

References

External links

The Boleskine House Foundation
* {{YouTube, channel=UCs63mo6MGZlzbAw79OygU2g 2019 establishments in Scotland Charities based in the United Kingdom Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage