Aigas (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

: ''Àigeis'', meaning "Place of the Gap") is a small hamlet in the

Highland Council area Highland (, ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the United Kingdo ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It is 5 miles (8 km) southwest of

Beauly Beauly ( ; ; ) is a village in Scotland's Highland (council area), Highland area, on the River Beauly, west of Inverness by the Far North Line, Far North railway line. The town is historically within Kilmorack Parish of the County of Inverness. ...

and 15 miles (24 km) west of

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

, on the north bank of the

River Beauly The River Beauly (, ) is a river in the Scottish Highlands, about 15 km west of the city of Inverness. It is about 25 km long, beginning near the village of Struy, at the confluence of the River Farrar and the River Glass, Strathglass ...

. Crask of Aigas is nearby, to the northeast. In the past, Aigas was divided into two parts, ''Easter'' and ''Wester Aigas.'' In 1580,

King James VI James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

granted both of these areas of land to Alexander Forbes of

Pitsligo Pitsligo was a coastal parish in the historic county of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, containing the fishing villages of Rosehearty, Pittulie and Sandhaven,

, a nobleman of

Clan MacFarlane Clan MacFarlane (Scottish Gaelic: Clann Phàrlain ) is a Scottish highlands, Highland Scottish clan. Descended from the medieval Earls of Lennox, the MacFarlanes occupied the land forming the western shore of Loch Lomond from Tarbet, Argyll, T ...

and great-great-grandfather of Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord Forbes of Pitsligo. In 1610 however, ownership of the lands was again transferred by King James to

Simon Fraser, 6th Lord Lovat Simon Fraser, 6th Lord Lovat (1570–1633) was a Scottish courtier and landowner. Simon Fraser was the son of Hugh Fraser, 5th Lord Lovat, Hugh Fraser, 5th Lord Lovat and Elizabeth Stewart, Countess of Arran, Elizabeth Stewart daughter of John S ...

. The lands since passed down the male line of

Clan Fraser of Lovat Clan Fraser of Lovat ( ) is a Highland Scottish clan and the principal branch of Clan Fraser. The Frasers of Lovat are strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century. ...

. Archaeological evidence shows settlements around the area of Aigas dating back to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

, with ancient dwellings made from local

whinstone Whinstone is a term used in the quarrying industry to describe any hard dark-coloured Rock (geology), rock. Examples include the igneous rocks, basalt and dolerite, as well as the sedimentary rock chert. Etymology The Northern English/Scots term ...

. Nowadays, Aigas is home to a popular, 9-hole golf course, established in 1993, and is served by Teanassie Primary School. There is also a nearby

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

named after the hamlet, situated on the River Beauly.

House of Aigas (Aigas Field Centre)

The House of Aigas is a historic building within the hamlet, originally built as a tacksman's house during the

Georgian era The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the House of Hanover, Hanoverian kings George I of Great Britain, George I, George II of Great Britain, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Geor ...

, sometime around 1760. In the 1870s it was sold to a wealthy family of Glaswegian shipping merchants, and used as a hunting lodge. During the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

many additions were made in the

Scottish baronial style Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th-century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

, and a small arbotoreum was installed during the 1880s. Trees such as the giant sequia, nootka cypress, and

western red cedar ''Thuja plicata'' is a large evergreen coniferous tree in the family Cupressaceae, native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. Its common name is western redcedar in the U.S. or western red cedar in the UK, and it is also called pacific re ...

were planted in the gardens. The house was again sold in the 1950s, becoming a council-run old folks' home before being abandoned in 1971. Sir John Lister-Kaye bought the house in 1976, after finding it on the verge of demolition. For over 40 years the celebrated English author and conservationist has lived in and run the estate, providing many much-needed renovations. Under his direction, Aigas Estate has become an important conservation centre known as the

Aigas Field Centre Aigas Field Centre is a nature centre based at the home of naturalist and author Sir John Lister-Kaye, House of Aigas. The centre was opened in 1977 by ecologist Sir Frank Fraser Darling, and provides nature-based holidays for adults and envir ...

. The centre runs environmental education services, nature-based holidays, and a

Scottish wildcat The Scottish wildcat is a European wildcat (''Felis silvestris silvestris'') population in Scotland. It was once widely distributed across Great Britain, but the population has declined drastically since the turn of the 20th century due to habi ...

breeding programme. Aigas has also been home to a family of

Eurasian beaver The Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber'') or European beaver is a species of beaver widespread across Eurasia, with a rapidly increasing population of at least 1.5 million in 2020. The Eurasian beaver was hunted to near-extinction for both its fur ...

s since 2006. File:Aigas House - geograph.org.uk - 2486943.jpg, House of Aigas, viewed from its main drive File:Sign for Aigas golf course and holiday cottages - geograph.org.uk - 1533602.jpg, Signpost for Aigas golf course beside the A831 road, the main road running through the hamlet File:Aigas Power Station PH-1.jpg, Aigas power station, situated on the Beauly River

References

Populated places in Inverness committee area {{Inverness-geo-stub