Queen Victoria’s Scottish cottage is to be sold.
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The property – on the southern side of Loch Katrine near Stronachlachar in Stirlingshire, Scotland – was built in 1857 for the royal opening of nearby Glasgow’s water supply scheme and was supposed to be a cottage, but the queen only ever used it as a rain shelter.
Protocol at the time stated a proper building had to be erected for the queen to stay in rather than allowing her to live in mobile accommodation during her time in the area.
However, during the opening ceremony at the property its windows were accidentally shot out by a 21-gun salute.
Due to the damage, the queen could not stay overnight in the cottage and instead used it as a place to shelter from poor weather during her visit.
In recent times, the house – which is on the market for offers over £325,000 – has been used as holiday accommodation for Glasgow councillors and as staff housing by Scottish Water, which owns Loch Katrine.
It has stood empty for several years and is reportedly in need of complete refurbishment.
Scottish Water’s Asset Management Director Geoff Aitkenhead said: “We are delighted to be offering Royal Cottage for public sale. The house has great appeal because of the building itself, and its beautiful setting in landscaped gardens, with breathtaking views over the loch, but we believe the fact that it was built for and used by Queen Victoria will make it even more attractive to potential buyers.”
