26 April 2021

Scotland’s Lost Country Houses

Have you ever taken a drive through the Scottish countryside and come upon a dilapidated structure and wondered what led to its demise? Or have you heard tales about demolished historical estates and want to know where they once stood?

There are many reasons Scottish estates have fallen to ruin during the 20th century, and Dr. Alastair Disley has been researching them since 2002. He opened his Scotland’s Lost Country Houses website in 2006 and since then he has been managing this fabulous non-commercial resource without any assistance from the public body. The result is nothing short of a gift to Scotland or anyone interested in Scottish history.

To date, Disley has included 530 lost country houses, 85 Scottish villas and 13 properties that were found after mistakenly being listed as demolished. Other homes were found when the shell and/or ruins were discovered to have been restored or fully incorporated into new structures. Surprisingly, a few buildings never even existed at all!

Due to his careful research and collaboration, Disley believes the information included on his site is at least 95% accurate, but he eagerly invites visitors to correct him if they find any mistakes. Disley uses over 40+ official Scottish resources to cross-reference his work. You can see his sources as well as the full list of homes on his website located here: Scotland’s Lost Country Houses

Editorial Team

Editorial Team

Modern Scot focuses on clear, factual reporting and analysis of Scotland’s civic, cultural, economic and environmental life.

Latest from Scottish Sites We Love

Walk Highlands

Founded by Helen and Paul Webster in 2006, the Walk Highlands website features more than 2,200 awe-inspiring, spectacular walking routes all over

Flowers Grown in Scotland

Flowers Grown in Scotland is an exemplary website dedicated to showcasing the richness of Scotland’s floriculture directly from the fields of local

The Scottish Yarn Festival

Exploring the Rich Tapestry of Scottish Culture at the Scottish Yarn Festival In the heart of Perthshire, the Scottish Yarn Festival, previously

Tie The Knot Scotland

There are few industries in Scotland that combine heritage, hospitality, design, fashion, tourism and local business quite as naturally as the wedding

Buchanan Bespoke Shoemaking

Buchanan Bespoke stands as a paragon of Scottish craftsmanship, rooted deeply in the proud heritage of traditional shoemaking. Their website offers a