The Notorious Purchase of Boleskine House
In 1899, a wealthy and arrogant young man from Warwickshire named Edward Alexander Crowley, later known as Aleister Crowley, sought a secluded rural property to enact an elaborate occult ritual. Described by his own mother as 'The Beast' and widely regarded as the 'wickedest man in the world', Crowley was determined to find the perfect location for his dark practices.
The Perfect Setting for Dark Magic
Crowley's requirements were specific: a house in a remote location with a door opening to the north from the room designated as his oratory. Outside this door, he needed a terrace covered with fine river sand, leading to a 'lodge' where spirits could gather. To the dismay of local residents, he found exactly what he was looking for in Boleskine House, a single-storey 1760s hunting-lodge on the southern shore of Loch Ness.
So desperate was Crowley to acquire the property that he paid twice the asking price. He immediately made alterations, knocking a new door through a north-facing window to meet his ritual specifications. He would soon make his Highland retreat infamous, adopting the title 'Lord Boleskine' and even Gaelicising his name to enhance his fabricated Celtic heritage.
A Life of Excess and Occult Obsession
Aleister Crowley was raised in a devout Christian household in Royal Leamington Spa, where his parents were ardent members of the Plymouth Brethren. His father, a lay-preacher and wealthy brewer, died when Crowley was young, leaving him a substantial inheritance. Crowley would eventually squander this fortune while rejecting his family's faith and developing a profound hatred for organized religion.
By the time of his death in a Hastings boarding house in December 1947, Crowley was bankrupt and nearly penniless. His final valuable possession, a gold fob-watch, was stolen before his body was cold. Yet despite his personal ruin, Crowley's influence endured through his founding of Thelema, a religion centered on the principle 'Do what thou wilt is the whole of the law.'
The Rite That Never Ended
Crowley's purchase of Boleskine House was specifically for performing the 'Rite of Abramelin the Mage,' a months-long ritual intended to summon a guardian angel who could command demons. The property's isolation, northern exposure, and potential for a sand-covered terrace made it ideal for his purposes.
According to Crowley's own accounts, he never completed the ritual, abandoning it to travel to Paris at the request of another occultist. More troublingly, he claimed he never properly banished the dark forces he had summoned to Boleskine House. He described one incident where the mansion filled with such oppressive darkness during daylight that he needed to light numerous candles to see.
Decades of Tragedy and Supernatural Activity
The sinister reputation of Boleskine House predates Crowley's ownership. The property sits on the site of the first local church, which burned down centuries earlier, killing everyone inside. Local legend suggests the name Boleskine derives from Baal, an ancient Babylonian deity, and stories tell of a Protestant minister having to rebury corpses reanimated by a local wizard.
After Crowley sold the property in 1933, a trail of misfortune followed subsequent owners. In November 1960, Major Edward Grant died by suicide with a shotgun in what had been Crowley's bedroom. The house then passed to conman Dennis Lorraine, who lured actor George Sanders into investing in a fraudulent company called Loch Ness Foods, resulting in Sanders losing millions before his own suicide in 1972.
Rock and Roll Ownership
In 1970, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page purchased Boleskine House, fascinated by Crowley's legacy. Page kept the property until 1992, using its atmospheric setting to inspire music. While Page was generally well-liked locally, he installed friend Malcolm Dent to oversee the property during his absences.
Dent, initially skeptical of the supernatural, reported increasingly disturbing experiences at Boleskine House. He described mysterious rumbling noises that ceased when investigated, and one terrifying night where he awoke to what sounded like a wild beast violently attacking his bedroom door. A female guest claimed to have been attacked 'by some kind of devil,' while furniture moved inexplicably and doors opened and closed on their own.
Destruction and Restoration
Boleskine House suffered two devastating fires in recent years. The first occurred accidentally in December 2015, burning more than half the mansion before firefighters could contain it. The second fire in July 2019 was suspected to be arson, further damaging the already vulnerable structure.
Despite these setbacks, the Boleskine House Foundation, led by Keith and Kyra Readdy, embarked on an ambitious restoration project. With funding including £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, they have spent approximately £1.5 million rebuilding the property. The foundation even sold bags of sooty rubble on eBay for £49 each as part of their fundraising efforts.
A New Chapter with Old Shadows
The restored Boleskine House is scheduled to open to the public in the coming weeks. Visitors will be able to tour the gardens, view the principal rooms of the Georgian manor, and browse a library dedicated to local history and Western esotericism. The property also features ten discreet holiday chalets hidden in the grounds.
Yet questions remain about the true nature of Boleskine House's legacy. Some wonder if Crowley brought evil to the property, while others suspect ancient malevolence drew him there. As the restoration nears completion, the mansion continues to pulsate with stories of kings and dukes of hell, ensuring that its dark history will endure alongside its physical revival.
