History boards 2025
Learn more about Fort Augustus Abbey and its beautifully landscaped grounds on the shores of Loch Ness
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Military Background (Religious Contestation) / A Contested Monarchy / Battle of the Monarch / Battle for the Throne / The Battle for Power and Religious Declaration
The Glorious Revolution of 1688 saw the Catholic King James VII of Scotland (also James II of England) removed from the throne and replaced by his Protestant daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, with the support of Parliament. King James fled to France, taking his infant son, James Francis Edward Stuart, with him. His son, later known as the "Old Pretender," was denied the throne in 1702 after King William's death. Because he refused to abandon his Catholic faith, the crown passed to his Protestant half-sister, Queen Anne. This decision angered many in Scotland, creating growing tensions.
In 1715, these tensions erupted when supporters of the exiled King James VII, known as the Jacobites, attempted an uprising in Scotland. Led by his son, James Francis Edward Stuart, the rebellion sought to reclaim the throne. However, lacking French military support, the Jacobites were defeated by British forces, and the Old Pretender retreated back to France.
As relations between Scotland and England worsened and another Jacobite uprising seemed likely, the British government decided to build a fort. General Wade oversaw its construction, which lasted 13 years and was completed in 1742. The fort, later converted into Fort Augustus Abbey and now part of The Highland Club, housed around 300 men in four main buildings, with six 12-pound cannons at each corner bastion. It was named Fort Augustus after William Augustus, the youngest son of King George II, who would play a major role in the next Jacobite uprising.
In 1745, a second Jacobite rebellion occurred, this time led by Charles Edward Stuart, better known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie." As the son of James Francis Edward Stuart, Charles was nicknamed the "Young Pretender." He sought to restore the Stuart family to the throne. In March 1746, just four years after its completion, the Jacobites successfully captured Fort Augustus after a two-day siege. However, their victory was short-lived. A month later, they were decisively defeated at the Battle of Culloden. Bonnie Prince Charlie later escaped to France disguised as Flora MacDonald’s maid, Betty Burke.
In the aftermath, William Augustus, known as the "Butcher," brutally crushed the Jacobite forces and dismantled the Scottish clan system through mass imprisonments and executions. It is said that the ghosts of those executed on what is now the cricket pitch, still haunt the area, lingering in the cells and tunnels beneath the fort. Fun Fact: Fort Augustus was once known as Cill Chuimein, meaning the Church of Cumin in Gaelic.
School and Abbey History (1867 - 1999):
In 1867, Lord Simon Lovat (the 14th Lord Lovat) bought the Fort. Following this, the 3rd Marquess of Bute wanted to reinstate the Benedictine Order in Scotland and was willing to financially support the construction of a new monastery. He presented his ideas to the Chapter General of the English Benedictian Congregation in 1874, and in 1875 they agreed to build an establishment in Fort Augustus, on land which was owned by the Beauly monks prior to the 16th Century Protestant Reformation.
In 1876, Fr Jerome Vaughan was travelling along Loch Ness when he reached the end to find Fort Augustus, which he was instantly determined to obtain, hence began his pleading to the 15th Lord Lovat, Simon. Lord Lovat gave the Fort to the Benedictines that same year for an exceptionally low price and laid the foundation stone of the monastery himself in September.
Peter Paul Pugin, the first architect, renovated the south side of the Fort and in October 1878 enough of the monastery and school were completed to hold an opening ceremony. Fort Augustus Abbey School, run by the monks, was a boarding school catering to upper class boys and a handful of girls, which only housed 15 students in the early days of the abbey’s construction, and peaked at around 150 students at certain points in the 1960s and 70s.
Did You Know? In December 1879, a strong storm caused two stone gables, which were waiting to be roofed in the calefactory wing, to crash down through three floors whilst destroying joists and beams on the way down.
The east side of the abbey was the monks’ living quarters, which looked onto their private garden facing the loch, as well as the monks' cemetery. The north side (clocktower) became the main school building, whilst the west side (moathouse) was the guest house, and the south side was the abbey church, which was also home to their organ with pipes reaching up to 32 feet. Before the organ was assembled, one of the smaller boys decided to crawl into a pipe that was left in the cloisters, resulting in confusion with other students and monks who stopped at the sound of scratching coming from the pipe, thinking that an animal had gotten stuck.
The abbey even had their own printing press which produced books for their library, as well as their student run paper, The Corbie. Other student activities included clubs such as chess, astronomy, cookery, camera, and film to name a few. Sports also played a great role in student life at the abbey, including rugby, cricket, shinty, hockey, rowing, and swimming which took place in their outdoor pool. One of the more unusual activities that took place was a staged riot, which was compulsory for the senior school to partake in. This was to prepare the B Company, 1st Battalion of The Royal Highland Fusiliers for any potential student demonstrators they might encounter during their visit to Northern Ireland at the beginning of 1970. They used the lower drive and engine house for the staged event where students used flour and water bombs, as well as rotten fruits and vegetables as their weapons against the fusiliers.
On the 8th June 1993, with just 5 days left of term, the boys were called into an unexpected assembly. Some were in the middle of an end of term exam when they were interrupted and taken to the assembly hall. Here, Fr Aelred told the boys that the school would be closing at the end of this term, explaining that they did not have enough pupils to continue for next year. At this point there were less than 100 boys and this number was expected to decrease the following term. The staff held a farewell party on the 11th, and Corpus Christi was held on Sunday 13th, which was the final day of term. The abbey itself remained open for a few more years but finally closed entirely on the 29th December 1999, by which point the buildings were already in a state of deterioration.
Did You Know? The abbey became independent from the English Benedictine Congregation in December 1882 when Pope Leo XIII ordered separation from Fort Augustus.
Plan of Fort Augustus showing the location of the Old Barrack
Kilchuimein
After what is known as the first Jacobite rising in 1715, and the defeat for the time of the Stuart cause, the Hanoverian government thought it desirable to select some central spot in the Highlands for the establishment of a garrison, and thus overawe the warlike clans that had originated the rebellion.
The most suitable place seemed to be the little Highland village of Kilchuimein (which in Gaelic means the ‘the cell or church of Cumin’ probably from the ‘Cumineus Albus’ who was abbot of Iona 657-669) standing at the head of Loch Ness.
It was the middle point of the great Glen of Albyn, and commanded the only available roads and passes in that part of the country. A barrack was accordingly erected on the site of the garden of the present Lovat Arms Hotel in the year 1716.
The Fort, Augustus
The barrack eventually was considered insufficient and a regular fort was built by General Wade in 1729, upon a strategic peninsula beyond the village, having the River Oich on its NW side, the River Tarff on the SE side, and the deep waters of the loch in front.
It was capable of accommodating 300 men. The four blocks of buildings stood round a square of some 100 feet in extent. There was a bastion at each angle mounting twelve six-pounders. A ditch, covert-way and glacis completed its defences.
The fort was named after George II’s youngest son, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. Wade had planned to build a town around the new barracks and call it Wadesburgh. The settlement grew and eventually, as well as the military station, took the common title of Fort Augustus. Among the Gaelic speaking population the village still retains its ancient name of Kilchuimein
Fort Augustus and its encampment, circa 1740
Painting of Hanoverian Fort, Augustus 1746
En Route to Culloden
The fort sustained a two-day siege at the hands of the Jacobite forces, as they were marching south-wards before engaging with Cumberland at Culloden. A shell directed from the neighbouring “Battery Rock” exploded the powder magazine, and the insurgents took possession. This was in March, 1746.
Two months later, when the Stuart cause had been completely vanquished, the victorious Hanoverian forces, under the Duke of Cumberland, once more resumed ownership. From the walls of the fort issued the terrible companies who laid waste and almost depopulated the surrounding country.
The barbarities by which Cumberland completed the subjugation of the Highlands have earned for him the title of the “Butcher.” In a district where formerly Protestantism was unknown he left scarcely a single Catholic.
The Frasers of Lovat
The surrounding lands formed part of the estate of the Frasers of Lovat, until the connection of the Chief of the Clan, Simon, Lord Lovat, with the Stuart rising, resulted in the forfeiture not only of his property but of his life.
He was carried as prisoner in a litter to Fort Augustus and confined in one of its dungeons before being taken to London, where, after impeachment as a rebel, he was executed on Tower Hill.
The fort, restored to more than its original strength after Culloden, continued to be occupied by a garrison for more than a century. “General Wade’s Road,” as it is still called, skirting the south side of Loch Ness, connects Fort Augustus with Fort George, another military station a few miles from Inverness.
In other directions are equally good roads, also the work of the Fort Augustus’ governors.
The Locks, Fort Augustus, 1832 (note the garrisons cricket pavilion in the foreground)
A model of Fort Augustus believed to be built in 1920 by a resident monk which has been restored and is on display in the atrium at The Highland Club
Lord Lovat
At the outbreak of the Crimean War, in 1853, the garrison was withdrawn.
After a period of abandonment the fort was sold by the Government to Thomas Alexander, Lord Lovat, the representative of the reinstated Frasers of Lovat, who secured the buildings and adjoining lands for £5000.
For many years the dismantled fort was occupied by various small tenants, a portion being reserved to the owner to serve as a shooting lodge.
Fort Augustus
Today much of the original Hanoverian military architecture remains intact including one of the four original bastian walls and the parade ground, now grassed over and surrounded by the cloister.
Of particular interest is the ground floor of the Moat House which clearly expresses the military Hanoverian architecture which formed the guard rooms and the reception area (now covered) was where the drawbridge was operated from.
A drawing of St Benedict's Monastery and College by the office of Joseph Hansom & Son
The Abbey in the 1880s (photograph courtesy of the Scottish Catholic Archives)
The Monastery
In 1876 Simon Fraser, 13th Lord Lovat passed the site and land to the Benedictine Fathers of the English Congregation of the Order, who wished to establish a monastery in Scotland.
The monastic buildings were begun a few months later and were in August 1880 sufficiently complete to permit of a solemn inauguration of the establishment.
The two bastions forming the extremities of the south wing along with the building that stood between them, the “Dukes House”, were entirely demolished.
Major parts of the monastery were designed by Peter Paul Pugin, the son of Augustus Welby Pugin, architect of the Palace of Westminster and Joseph Hansom of the cab fame.
St Benedict's Abbey
Up to the year 1882 St. Benedict’s monastery remained under the jurisdiction of the Anglo-Benedictine Congregation thereafter being turned over to an independent Catholic Benedictine Abbey.
A large church designed by Pugin the Younger was commenced in 1890, replacing a temporary wooden one.
The Pugin designed Abbey Church
A photograph of the Abbey c1920
Fort Augustus Abbey School
In 1878, in one wing, a school for 50-60 boys of the upper classes was conducted by the monks, with lay masters, for about sixteen years. This was eventually extended to create Fort Augustus Abbey School which at its height accommodated 150 boys.
The Main school comprised of this original school wing – “The Old School”, a new wing built in the 1960’s to accommodate the science block and theatre (which is now the Raven Wing) and a block taken over from the Monastery known as the Brother’s Wing.
The school operated until 1993 by which time the dwindling demand of pupils in the region and the decreasing population of monks led to its closure.
The Highland Club
A variety of enterprises from heritage centres to outward bound schools attempted to make use of Fort Augustus Abbey but the site was eventually abandoned.
In 2003 The Santon Group, a respected developer of listed buildings, purchased the dilapidated Grade A listed buildings and grounds.
A £30million conversion of the site into The Highland Club was embarked upon finally being completed in 2012.
Today the austerity of monastic life has given way to the warmth of modern leisure living.
A model of The Highland Club can be found in the atrium
The Highland Club
The Santon Group is dedicated to preserving the special character and many beautiful features of Fort Augustus Abbey, its cloisters and the great towers that make it such a landmark.
However, inside a programme of total renovation and discreet building has transformed the original spartan accommodation into 97 distinctive one, two and three bedroom apartments.
In addition, there are twelve charming cottages in the grounds. Planning permission has recently been granted for three further unusual homes – The Cricket Pavilion Residence, The Clock Tower Apartment and The Sanctuary Apartment.
Wherever possible period features have been retained …. so don’t be surprised to find a gargoyle or two gazing down on you … or even a stained-glass window in your living room.
Points of Interest
The Haile’s Relief
Within the Moat House, next to the letter boxes, and embedded in the wall is an extremely interesting and valuable early Roman stone relief, presented to Fort Augustus Abbey some years ago by Mrs Turnbull of Hailes (Midlothian), into whose garden wall it had been built centuries before.
The relief, part of which is in perfect preservation, represents, seated in front of an altar or shrine, the figures of the three “mother-goddesses,” or matres campestres, whose cult was widely spread in certain districts during the first and second centuries of the Christian era.
Altars with these triple figures have been found in various localities in Germany, France and England; but the extraordinary and unique interest of the Hailes relief is that it is the only one known to exist in Scotland. The central figure holds in her hand a large bunch of grapes-an almost certain proof, experts believe, that the shrine was designed and wrought by sculptors from the Rhine-land.
The relief is duly scheduled in the lists of H.M. Office of Works (Scotland) as a monument of national importance.
