2 days ago
Estate near Dunblane with links to Stagecoach tycoon put up for sale after controversial mansion demolition
An estate near Dunblane with links to Stagecoach tycoon Ann Gloag has gone up for sale after the mansion that once stood on it was controversially demolished.
The sprawling Glassingall Estate is being marketed for offers over £900,000.
It comes five years after Glassingall House, which was owned by Stagecoach co-founder Dame Ann Gloag through investment companies she controls, was knocked down without a demolition warrant being in place.
The demolition sparked a police probe, and a contractor was later fined for contravening bat protection laws at the site.
Savills is now marketing the land as an 'exciting prospect of building on the site of a demolished country house' – though no planning permission for any development is currently in place.
Glassingall Estate, just north of Dunblane – close to the A9 – spans about 91 acres, including woodland and fields.
The land comes with grounds that could be turned back into gardens, a hardcourt tennis court that requires reinstatement and five grazing fields that total 47.6 acres.
The driveway is located off the B8033, and there is secondary access onto the A9 to the south.
Harry Maitland, property agent for Savills, said: 'Glassingall Estate offers the unique opportunity to create a spectacular country home (subject to obtaining planning permission) set in about 91 acres of stunning grounds.'
The original Glassingall Manor House was built in a Gothic Baronian style.
Constructed in 1864, it stood for more than 100 years and was demolished in 1966.
The following year, a new mansion – which had a swimming pool, squash court and tennis court – was erected.
In 2019, Dame Ann and Active Stirling, the local authority's sports management company, planned to use the estate to create an outdoor centre.
The plans included 135 holiday lodges, an activity centre with water sports, residential accommodation, play areas, parking and a reception building.
However, these proposals were met with opposition over the impact on nearby residents and never went ahead.
The contractor who was ultimately fined over the demolition was said to have acted on the instructions of businessmen described as 'friends of the Gloag family', a court heard.
It was also revealed that the house had been bought by Glasingall Estate Ltd for £850,000 in March 2018 and that the owner was Dame Ann, the co-founder of the Stagecoach bus firm.
