News

Crown Estate Sale Allows Expanded Plans For Historic Seminary

1 June 2009

An association devoted to the preservation of an historic Catholic seminary, is celebrating the purchase of a building and lease of land connected to the site from The Crown Estate at Glenlivet.

The Scalan Association has purchased a cottage that was once part of the seminary and arranged a long-lease of surrounding acreage to further protect and enhance an historic seminary and its surroundings at the Scalan in the Braes of Glenlivet on the Glenlivet Estate.

The seminary has long been a place of pilgrimage for many, and attracts visitors from all over the world because of its importance to the Catholic church in Scotland. The Association has carried out renovations to the seminary building in recent years and has been keen to secure ownership of the cottage and management of the wider site to allow future improvements to be carried out.

To mark the transfer of ownership an open air celebratory Mass will be held at The Scalan next Tuesday, June 2 at midday. Principal concelebrant will be Cardinal O’Brien and the local Bishop, Bishop Peter Moran of Aberdeen will also attend. The sermon will be given by Canon Brian Halloran, president of the Scalan Association.

Andrew Wells, Head of Countryside Management - Rural Estates said:

“The Scalan is one of the most important heritage sites on the Glenlivet Estate and The Crown Estate is very pleased to have helped to secure the long term management of the site in partnership with the Scalan Association.  The new arrangements will enable further enhancements to be carried out which will help raise awareness of the Scalan as a significant attraction for visitors coming to Glenlivet and the Cairngorms National Park.”

The Scalan Association president, Very Reverend Canon Brian Halloran said:

“The Scalan Association is very pleased to acquire the old dwelling of Sandy Matthieson which was once part of the kitchen wing of the College. Sandy was a faithful guardian and protector of the old seminary. The lease of the surrounding area has enabled us to fence the area to prevent possible damage from livestock and the developments should help us to promote pilgrimage to the old seminary of Scalan.”

The Scalan Association was formed by three priests in 1948 to care for the seminary building, dating from the late 1700s, along with the ruins of an earlier chapel and the clear water ‘bishops well’. Set in the midst of farmland, the Association is interested in using the newly purchased cottage, and additional leasehold, to further develop pilgrimages to the site and expand provision for visitors.

Scalan was named after the turf sheilings (Gaelic: sgalan) found in the Braes. The College trained more than 100 priests between 1716 to 1799, and played a vital role in keeping the traditional faith alive in northern Scotland. The original turf building was raided by troops in 1726. A new building of lime and stone, erected in 1738, was burnt by Hanoverian troops after the battle of Culloden in 1746. It was reroofed and served as a seminary until the College was relocated across the Crombie water on its present site in 1767. There is no trace of the older seminary buildings but they were close to the site of the Bishop’s Well which is tucked into the bank beside the burn – a welcome source of clear spring water on a hot day

ENDS

Notes to editors

The Crown Estate

1. The Crown Estate is valued at over £7 billion, including substantial blocks of urban property, over 119,000 hectares (294,000 acres) of agricultural land in England, Scotland and Wales, and around half the foreshore, together with the seabed out to the 12 mile territorial limit.
2. The Crown Estate has two main objectives: to benefit the taxpayer by paying the revenue surplus earned from assets directly to the Treasury (in 2007/08 this amounted to £211.4 million); and to enhance the value of the estate and the income it generates.
3. As owners, managers and guardians of one of the world’s most important and diverse urban, rural and marine property portfolios, our work is underpinned by the three core values of commercialism, integrity and stewardship.
    

The Glenlivet Estate

1. The Crown Estate acquired the Glenlivet estate in 1937. Around 23,000 ha (58,000 ac) in size, it comprises over 30 let farms, 3,500 ha (8,500 ac) of commercial forests and a sporting tenancy including grouse moors, salmon fishing and deer stalking. Within Glenlivet, The Crown Estate has encouraged sustainable economic development, backed up by significant re-investment, a policy that has won the estate several major awards. Facilities and services for visitors are continually being developed and it is the policy of The Crown Estate to encourage new enterprises and activities, which are in keeping with the area’s traditional land uses. http://www.glenlivetestate.co.uk/