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Jimmy Savile's Highland cottage demolished 15 years after his death

Peter Jolly/Northpix The site with a mountain in the background.Peter Jolly/Northpix
The cottage once stood just above where the road sign with chevrons is

The Highland cottage formerly owned by Jimmy Savile has been demolished.

Savile, one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders, owned Allt-na-Reigh in Glen Coe for about 13 years from 1998.

The property on the A82 has been damaged in a fire and repeatedly vandalised since details of the former TV personality's abuse emerged following his death in 2011.

Work to bulldoze the cottage started in March last year, but could not be completed until a building warrant and other necessary approvals were issued by Highland Council.

A new home is to be built on the site.

Getty Images The cottage sits above the A82 in a dramatic mountain landscape. The property's white walls are covered in graffiti. Getty Images
The cottage below the Three Sisters mountains was repeatedly vandalised after details of Savile's offending emerged

A spokesperson for the owner, Scottish entrepreneur Harris Aslam, confirmed preliminary demolition had been completed.

They said: "Set against the backdrop of Glen Coe and the Three Sisters, this is an area of extraordinary natural beauty.

"We will commence construction on a prestigious home of exceptional quality that is reflective of the landscape in which it sits.

"Our focus is firmly on the future - one defined by respect, quality, and a strong sense of place."

The spokesperson said the Aslam family recognised the "significance" of the location due to its striking backdrop of the Three Sisters mountains, and its association with the celebrated Scottish climber and inventor Dr Hamish MacInnes.

Highland Council said the paperwork was approved late last month.

Councillors unanimously approved the demolition plans in June 2024.

The proposed redevelopment includes honouring MacInnes, another of the cottage's former owners.

The mountaineer, who died in 2020, invented a form of ice axe and also a stretcher that is used by mountain rescue teams all over the world.

He constructed many of his designs in outbuildings next to the cottage.

The property has a long history and over the years it served as a house on a croft and as a road workers' cottage.

Harris Aslam family The cottage, pictured against the backdrop of Three Sisters mountains, has no roof and its white walls are covered in graffiti.Harris Aslam family
Harris Aslam family An orange excavator breaks down walls of the property. The mountains beyond are dusted with snow.Harris Aslam family
The cottage had become an eyesore in Glencoe.
An initial phase of demolition has been completed.

Councillor Andrew Baxter told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast he had been calling for the cottage to be demolished for 12 years.

He said people living in the area were "delighted that it's finally gone" and that they could "move on from that connection with Savile".

"It was a complete blight on the entry way into the beautiful Glen Coe scenic area," he said.

"It was falling down, it had been a target for vandalism and virtually every square inch of it was covered in graffiti.

"It was really an absolute eyesore and an embarrassment for people who lived locally."

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