Clan Robertson Estate up for Sale

Dall House, surrounded by Dall Estate

An excessively magnificent and utterly luxurious highland estate with clan links has been placed on the market, boasting an equally impressive price tag. Once home to Clan Robertson, the sprawling Dall Estate is located on the south shore of Loch Rannoch in Perthshire with the estate agent currently accepting offers of over £2.3 million. The lands of the estate are also steeped in history, directly linking to historical-titans such as Robert the Bruce and King James I.


One of the many bedrooms inside Dall House

The estate is home to Dall House, which has 80+ rooms including 38 bedrooms, a cinema, library, chapel, sports hall and gun room. The grounds are even more impressive; hosting multiple bungalows and cottages, tennis courts, a boat house on the shore of the loch, an assault course and a fire engine that the estate agent states is "handy for cleaning the windows that come with the estate".

In 2010 the current laird Malcolm James came under fire for his ambitious plan to turn the property into an exclusive billionaires resort. He announced that the minimum liquid net worth of clients using the estate would be set at 100 million, with membership fees of 2m and annual dues of 500,000. The plans received a great deal of opposition from local community and conservation groups who claimed the development would threaten one of Scotland's most picturesque and unspoilt landscapes.


Inside Dall House

Members of Perth and Kinross Council voted 21-3 to reject the development of Dall, which was set to include a 104-room luxury hotel, two 18-hole golf courses and clubhouse, a state-of-the-art health spa, a concert hall, a "body-enhancement clinic" with surgery facilities, a retail arcade and a shore-side restaurant based on the design of a crannog. The plans were met with a storm of local and national protest, with local politicians calling the development inappropriate and damaging to the environment and ecology of Loch Rannoch.

The origin of the estate can be traced back to beginning of the 14th Century during the First War of the Scottish Wars of Independence. At this time Clan Robertson were known by their original name 'Clan Donnachaidh' - named after chief Duncan the Stout. In 1314 Duncan led his clan to battle at Bannockburn in staunch support of his friend, King Robert the Bruce. The lands of Dall were later gifted to the clan in 1347 for their support in this battle and the final years of the war.

100 years later chief Robert Riach (the Grizzled), known for his intense loyalty to the Stewarts, was responsible for capturing the murderers of King James I in 1437. In return the Crown granted him the feudal barony of the lands at Struan, with the chief then on known as Robertson (from Robert of Struan).

Struan became the clan seat until the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden (1746), in which the clan had their lands forfeited by the Government. The lands were returned (along with old debts) in 1784 however the clan found it increasingly difficult to make a living and break free of the debt. In 1853 Struan was sold, leaving only the lands at Dall remaining. Dall House was built in 1855, becoming the seat of the clan until 1926.

The house was commissioned by clan chief George Duncan Robertson and built by the renowned architect Thomas Mackenzie, who was responsible for the present Ballindalloch castle (1847) and Aldourie Castle (1853). Dall House was the only house he ever designed and built himself in Scots Baronial style, which is known for its 16th Century features including turrets. In 1926 the estate was sold, and Dall House became offices of the Forestry Commission before being established as an independent boarding school in 1959. The school's remote location forced its closure in 2002.

You can view the property listing for Dall Estate by clicking here.