Private Eye

Thanks to friend of Balintore Castle,  Jack,  for alerting me to Balintore Castle's appearance in Private Eye magazine a few weeks ago. Unusually, there is no satirical content in this article which reports on the concerning and rapid deterioration of a nearby mansion in Angus called  Letham Grange (circa 1830) owned by a Mr. Liu. 

Now Mr. Liu was the previous owner of Balintore Castle, and the article tellingly states "Liu has form for buying historic property in Scotland and presiding over decay." When Mr. Liu got into financial trouble some years back, Letham Grange went into receivership and I assumed that the future was bright for the building and that a new purchaser would save it. However, somehow, the building ended back in the hands of Mr. Liu in 2018.

Some architectural friends visiting me at Balintore a couple of months back, called over to Letham Grange to scout it out. They came back with a very sorry tale indeed regarding the state of the building. Letham Grange was running as a luxury golfing hotel until 2002, so the moral of this story is that deterioration can occur very quickly indeed if a building is neglected.

article in Private Eye

The other article in the photo is more light-hearted. i.e. the planned removal of 299 extant gas street lamps in Westminster by the Council. "Shame!" I hear you rightly cry. It is a little known fact there are 3000 gas lamps still operational in London. I certainly noticed a good number when I was working in the City itself, and I enjoyed the guttering historic vibe greatly.