Little Ross: selling a tranquil private island – with journalists taking note A frenzy of internet interest was generated when a Scottish island was put on the market. David Corrie relates how Galbraith handled the sale under a media spotlight.
It WaS probably when we were about half way down the estuary in a 12-foot speedboat that I realised how unusual and exciting working in a rural property practice can be. A week earlier i had been approached by a wellknown Kirkcudbright landowner who had asked the blunt question: “Do you sell islands?” From there blossomed a discussion about Little ross island, about four miles south of Kirkcudbright at the entrance to Kirkcudbright Bay in Dumfries and galloway. the island is a well known local landmark and has a fascinating history intertwined with shipwrecks, the construction of a lighthouse and even a murder mystery. the lighthouse tower was not included in the sale but it is very much part of the island’s history. it was built to close the gap between other lighthouses at the Mull of galloway and Southerness. Designed and built by Alan Stevenson, it was first lit on January 1, 1843, and was the first light of the catadioptric type, having metallic mirrors above and below the lenses. William thomson (later Lord Kelvin) hailed the light, along with Buchan ness and the rhinns of islay, as 'undoubtedly the three best revolving lights in the world'. in 1960, in the final days of manned operation, the lighthouse keeper was found dead on the island with a gunshot wound. the assistant keeper was nowhere to be found. it was quickly ascertained that a quarrel had taken place and the lighthouse keeper had been the unfortunate victim. the perpetrator, the assistant keeper, was caught
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within 24 hours following an intense police enquiry when he arrived by train in Liverpool. the 29-acre island is essentially a large grasstopped rocky dome just off the mainland and accessible only by boat when the tide is right. the sale did include the former lighthouse keepers’ cottages which had been converted into a six-bedroomed house though without mains services and entirely off-grid. in addition, there are two walled gardens, a trio of ruined outbuildings and a workshop. the house is served by a fresh-water spring, solar panels and a small wind turbine for electricity and septic tank drainage. the house had been lived in and restored over the previous 30 years by a long-term tenant of the estate but when the tenancy came to an end the estate considered the options for re-letting or sale. given the unusual nature and the considerable contractual obligations of a lease, a sale was settled upon as the most straightforward way to proceed. My first visit, by speedboat, was to appraise the property and understand the layout of the island. i had to complete this in less than an hour to ensure i could return to the mainland on the falling tide. the weather was fair and i took a range of photographs some of which were later used for marketing. it was also my first opportunity to inspect the lighthouse keepers’ cottages and prepare a floor plan, under the advice and guidance of the previous tenant, who kindly showed me around. the final piece of the jigsaw to ensure the best possible marketing, was arranging for drone photography to be produced which could be
Within 24 hours the Facebook post had been shared more than 600 times and seen by more than 30,000 people.
Page 4 | Property matters | Winter/Spring 2019 | galbraithgroup.com
