Savile’s Scottish Home Burns: Future of Controversial Site Uncertain

Jimmy Savile’s old house burned down recently, in Glencoe, Scotland. Police and firefighters responded quickly on Saturday. The house, called Allt-Na-Reigh, is a bungalow where Savile lived from 1998 until his death in 2011. It remained empty since his death.

Savile reportedly saw the house during a trip in 1944, and King Charles even visited him there once. After Savile’s death, police searched the house looking for evidence of his crimes. He is believed to have abused as many as twenty people there. Consequently, the house faced vandalism after the public became aware of his actions.

People wrote offensive words on the house and attempted to cover them with whitewash. Despite Savile’s initial intention to donate the property to the community, this was halted due to investigations. The house slowly decayed for fourteen years.

Someone purchased the house for £212,000 in 2013, even though its expected price was £100,000. The buyer reportedly intended to live there, describing it as a nice cottage in the Highlands. The money from the sale was given to Savile’s victims. Later, Harris Aslam bought it for £335,000.

Aslam planned to demolish the house in 2021 in favor of a modern house. Locals protested this plan, arguing that it would spoil the natural landscape. He withdrew the plan in 2023 and submitted new ones and, in June 2024, approval was granted to build a new house.

The approved plan is for a four-bedroom home that will be one and a half stories tall, with a two-story section in the back. A walkway will connect the two sections. Allt-Na-Reigh is located near the A82 highway in Glencoe where there are few houses.

A climber named Dr. Hamish MacInnes also lived there and designed rescue tools at the property. Outbuildings will be named “Hamish House” to honor him. The council has stated that, while the house has graffiti, it also carries positive memories due to the climber.

Planning approval was granted last summer, but construction has not yet commenced. The owner has three years to begin building before the permit expires. A councilperson confirmed that the permit expires on June 25, 2027, suggesting the landscape’s blot should disappear soon.