Boleskine Begins Restoration of Victorian Era Pond for Public Access

INVERNESS, Scotland - March 12, 2024 - PRLog -- The Boleskine House Foundation SCIO, a registered Scottish charity, has begun an ambitious project to restore an important feature of its historic wetland. Following the Foundation's selection in December last year to receive a generous grant from the Highland Council Nature Restoration Fund, a Victorian-era freshwater pond situated behind the B-listed Boleskine House will be cleaned up, transformed into a haven for local plant and wildlife, and opened to the public.

"It is wonderful to see our estate transform from decades of neglect into a place of natural majesty that people from all over Scotland and the world will be able to enjoy," said Steven O'Donnell, restoration project lead and Trustee of The Boleskine House Foundation. "This is yet another step not only towards our vision of giving the estate a new lease on life for the public benefit, but to promoting nature-based activities to educate the public on the importance of nature preservation in a fun and friendly manner. Together, we will move towards a sustainable future in the heritage sector and beyond."

On behalf of the Foundation, since January this year, O'Donnell has collaborated with Stephen Corcoran of Corcoran Consultants, a marine ecologist and nature restoration specialist, to develop a restoration program to complement the Foundation's estate-wide biodiversity program. Together, they have developed a multi-phased plan that began on 6 March and is expected to be mostly completed by spring.

Phase 1 of the restoration plan consists of removing invasive rhododendrons in and around the wetland area and excavating decades of decomposed material from the pond. In Phase 2, work will focus on enhancements to public access and native plant life restoration.

The pond, which was once stocked with fish, is part of the Loch Ness and Duntelchaig Special Landscape Area, a designation by the Highland Council as a regionally valuable landscape worthy of protection and enhancement, and promotion of public enjoyment. Records of the pond's existence date back to the mid-1800s.

Information and updates will be available as the project progresses on The Boleskine House Foundation's official social media accounts at https://www.facebook.com/boleskine.house.foundation and https://www.instagram.com/boleskine.house.

The Boleskine House Foundation

The Boleskine House Foundation SCIO is a Scottish Registered charity whose mission is to restore and preserve the historical legacy and heritage of the Boleskine House estate for the greater benefit of the public. In addition to our conservation-led approach to sympathetically restore Boleskine House, we aim to educate the public on the heritage of the house and lands, to welcome the enjoyment of its structure and surrounding gardens, and to facilitate learning, growth and well-being. For more information, please visit www.boleskinehouse.org.