Blaracha, Roybridge, SCOTLAND

Blaracha, the MacDonald Family Home, was the basis of Devenport Estate's design. Blaracha was built at the turn of the century, in the early 1900's, of a brick structure with grey stucco cladding. Prior to the MacDonald's purchasing the property in the late 1950s the house had been owned by the daughter of the local distillery - Ryan. The house had been empty for some years after the death of Mrs Ryan before being bought by the MacDonald's where it was renovated, electrified, replumbed and set up for bed and breakfast.

Blaracha Exterior early 1960s

Roybridge is a small highland village in Lochaber, about 20 minutes north-east of Fort William, on the A86. Consisting of a post office/store, two hotels, local drill hall, and small pockets of housing development. Blaracha - field of battle, is situated at the base of Maol Ruadh, with the River Roy at the bottom of the property, and at the start of the road to Bohuntine.

Blaracha 1994 Back of Blaracha 1994

Blaracha August 1994

The History of Blaracha

1900, Transfer of Land

The origins of Blaracha started with John Macdonald Esq of Keppoch, Distiller of Fort William. John and his brother Archibald William, took over the Ben Nevis Distillery on the death of their father, Donald Peter Mcdonald of Inverness House, on 28th November 1891. Donald died 1st of November 1891 at the age of 56, leaving behind a considerable estate of £110,311-9-8d. By the start of the new century, John was seeking a site to build a new home.

The grounds of Blaracha were transferred from Alfred Donald MacKintosh of MacKintosh, Chief of Clan Chattan to John on the 7th December 1900. The transfer required Superior approval for any development, which forbid any manufactury or distillery on the land. The transfer required that a "substantial and ornate dwellinghouse" be built by the following WhitSunday of Stone and Lime for a value greater than six hundred pounds. Blaracha was built, of red brick and cement coating, for John.

Blaracha development 1900-1920

1918, Transfer to Mrs Elizabeth Ryan

An antenuptial contract of marriage between John's parents Donald Mcdonald and Mrs Jessie Margaret Carmichael [or Macdonald] ensured that Blaracha remained in the Macdonald family. Blaracha was transferred to John's sister, Mrs Elizabeth Ryan on the 18th April 1918 for £250 and a bond of £500. Mrs Ryan was brought up in Lochaber, and was educated abroad - studying music in Germany and Italy. Born in 1863, she married a tea planter, James Paul Emile Ryan and lived in Ceylon until 1920. Mrs Ryan returned as a widow and moved in to Blar-a-cha.

The extension of the Annex wing is attributed to Mrs Ryan - an additional living room, bathroom, butlers bedroom-pantry downstairs, and additional bedroom, bathroom and dressing room were added upstairs. French doors led out from the Annex Living room to the front lawn, a porch was added to the front door, and further extensions were made to the back of the house, including maid's bedroom, coal house, and laundry room. Blaracha certainly became more "substantial"in this period.

Mrs Ryan was active in the Lochaber community - founder member of the West Highland Musuem, and Chairman of its management committee. Her portrait by Frederic Wales is displayed in the stairwell of the musuem in Fort William. Wearing black, Elizabeth Ryan is seen having tea from a silver tea service, served in bone china teacups with another unseen person, served on a Macdonald tartin tablecloth, with Blaracha's Rowan Trees behind her.

She made a sizable financial contribution to the trust fund which bought the Roy Bridge Drill Hall in 1947, and was a keen benefactor and promoter for the arts and music. Her only child, Miss Biddy was an accomplished singer. Miss Biddy contracted TB and windows were re-arranged in Miss Biddy's bedroom to bring in as much fresh air as possible, casement windows that opened inwards.

Outliving her husband and daughter, Mrs Ryan lived at Blar-a-cha until her death at the age of 91 in 1954. She died in Edinburgh and is buried at Cille Chorill, Brae Lochaber.

For more details on the Ryan Macdonalds: please refer to the this web page

More Details:

1956, The second MacDonald family take up residence

Blaracha remained empty for two years until John MacDonald, Headmaster of the Schoolhouse RoyBridge purchased the house from the estate of Mrs Ryan on the 16th July 1956 for £800, with the final settlement being made in 1960. Mrs Joan Weld of Berkeley, Manor Cottage, Dorset ex. Hanwell Castle, Banbury, Oxford was the primary beneficiary for the estate.

As another MacDonald family took up residence in Blaracha, Blaracha was substantially renovated and brought into the age of electricity. Parafin lamps were replaced with electric cables, wooden veneer panels were removed and walls were repapered, ceilings painted. The servant pull-bells were replaced with a telephone line. Bathrooms were replumbed upstairs and downstairs. The french doors from the annex were converted to a large window given leaking and structural concerns. Blaracha went through another major refit with a new owner.

The eight bedrooms of the house were used both for the MacDonald family, and for a bed and breakfast homestead until the early 1960s. Today, some 45 years later, Blaracha remains in the MacDonald family as a private home for the third John MacDonald of Blaracha.

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Go to Lochaber Web Sites:

West Highland Line railway
Scottish Ski areas information/snow reports in season
Nevis Range reviews & comments
Where to eat in Fort William
Fly fishing
Fort William area guide

Contacting Devenport Estate

Inquiries and Bookings are welcome at:devenport_estate@hotmail.com

Phone: 64 4 586 6868, or Fax: 64 4 586 6869

Web Page Updated: 29th October 2006

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