Lochend's History
Lochend has been here for a long time. During the Iron Age the Lake, or Loch Inchmaholme, was home to about 8 "crannogs". These were circular houses built on stones bases or stilts, in which animals and humans co-habitated, on the water itself.
We have quite prominent remains of one in Lochend bay.
Reconstruction on Loch Tay.
The Augustine canons founded a priory in 1238 on Inchmaholme, which is the largest of three islands on the Lake, with the help of the Earl of Menteith. The infant Mary, Queen of Scots, was taken there to hide in 1547 when Scotland was being invaded by the English army. It is around this time, in 1540, that Lochend was first recorded as "Steading callit the lochend". It is also recorded that in the 18th century, Robin Og, son of Rob Roy, brought an heiress, whom he had abducted, here to stay before he was caught by the authorities and taken to Edinburgh, where he was hanged.
Lochend was part of the Cardross estate and owned by the Erskines, the Earls of Mar. It was probably larger than the existing estate when it was entitled, "Lands of Lochend, with the lees, loanings, manor places, houses, biggins, milns, yards, parks and pendicles"!
The Erskines sold the much smaller 38-acre estate in 1922.
Our family has lived here since 1962. Mr. & Mrs. J. Nairn built the first chalets in 1974. Topher, their son, took over the buisness in 1987 and their daughter, Victoria, and her husband Chris, joined him in 1996.
The Cook School on the estate was established in 2000 and is owned by their other son, Nicholas. His wife, Holly, runs an organic herb and salad garden attached to the school, making this very much a working, family estate.
SPITFIRE
During the Second World War the military commandeered the lake and it was used as an ammunitions dump. You can still see the remains of jetties built by the army on the western area of the lake, which is inaccessible by land.
On 3rd June 1943 Sgt. Pilot Thomas Hetherington was flying his MK1 Spitfire, Plane No. P8187, from O.T.U. No.58 RAF Grangemouth on a low flying exercise. Sgt Pilot Hetherington is rumoured to have been showing off to the land girls working in fields on the north side of the lake when his wing touched the water and sent the Spitfire crashing into the lake.
Hetherington escaped unhurt and was later reprimanded by Group Captain Cyril Wallace.
It is thought that the valuable Merlin engine was rescued from the wreck but that the plane itself is still in the lake. Every now and the diving teams come to look for it but without success. The MK1 Spitfire is the Lake of Menteith’s Nessy!