The Boleskine House Foundation has started its “Sponsor a Stone” fundraiser, which gives our supporters the opportunity to help rebuild Boleskine House and have their support memorialised on the estate.

Each sponsor will choose a numbered decorative stone that will replace the irreparable fire-damaged stone. For their kind sponsorship, The Boleskine House Foundation will offer a personalised certificate and their name will be added to a memorial ornament that will feature in the Boleskine gardens after the restoration is complete. Sponsorships of £500 or more will get further perks (see below).

Nearly 150 pieces of decorative sandstone will need replacing with the closest match of sandstone possible—Whittonfell. 

Our team of masons will be sourcing the raw Whittonfell sandstone from A. D. Calverts quarry. The replacement stone will then be hand-carved with skilled labour, and fitted onto Boleskine House in spring 2021. The cost for just this element of the masonry work is a staggering £90,000, and so The Boleskine House Foundation is seeking donor support to help support this endeavour directly. Follow the button below, and choose your favourite number of stone to help us today!

 

Sponsor a Stone Now!


See the Whittonfell quarry sourcing Boleskine’s new stone! This quarry has historically provided stone since 1152, for Jervaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire.


Heritage Skills and Conservation

We are dedicated to upholding an ethos of heritage conservation with traditional masonry and building skills. We always try to repair stone in situ first, however much of the dressed sandstone that has featured within Boleskine House for hundreds of years is so badly fire-damaged, it is beyond simple repair.  We are therefore only replacing decorative stone on Boleskine House that is needed for its structural integrity.

Support Heritage Skills!


The first sourcing of stone has arrived, ready for dressing!

In late January and early February 2021, the first haulage of Whittonfell sandstone arrived at the mason’s workshop. They will be spending the rest of the winter carefully carving by hand all of the replacement stone to be installed into Boleskine House.

Shown below is an early technical document supplied by our arhitects showing all of the stone replacement needed. This list has increased since this document  was published in April 2020.


Choose a stone to replace!

F1926-L21-001_Fabric-Repairs-Reinstatement6

Please also note that this campaign does not include the stone replacement needed for “Room 1” on the Southeast elevation (coloured in green with red quoin stones).  


What your sponsorship entails

Each sponsor’s donation helps with our sourcing of the stone from the quarry, a skilled mason’s labour for cutting, carving and dressing it by hand, and finally the fitting of that stone onto Boleskine House forever more.

For your kind sponsorship, The Boleskine House Foundation are offering the following as a token of appreciation:

  • Updates on the stone’s progress with as many pictures that can be provided throughout the process.
  • A personalised certificate from the Board of Trustees.
  • The sponsor’s name and chosen stone number featured on a memorial ornament installed in the gardens of Boleskine in the future. 
  • The sponsor’s name and chosen stone number listed on a printed book or plaque which will feature in the halls of Boleskine House. 

In addition to the above, for every £500 that is sponsored, The Boleskine House Foundation will offer the opportunity for a long weekend stay at Boleskine House in the future once the house is built. Given that it is currently not intended to open Boleskine House to over-night stays upon completion with any frequency, we think this is a great and exclusive offer.

All purchases are tax deductible, and if you are a UK resident, please be sure to let us know on your order notes so we can add £0.25 to every pound spent as gift aid!

 

Donate and Make History!


Sponsoring in difficult times

We understand that times are very hard amidst the unprecedented worldwide Covid-19 pandemic crisis. Many people have lost their jobs or are on extended furlough, and therefore it may not be realistic for those who may otherwise wish to donate to charities they support. Most charities around the world are faced with this dilemma at present.

Still, non-profits function by virtue of their supporters, and so they must fundraise despite the fact that it may not seem timely to do so. The Boleskine House Foundation faces this challenge, and we need as much help as ever to save this historic building from collapse. We would like our supporters to know that we are working hard towards meeting our timescales for 2021 so that Boleskine House will not suffer another winter without a roof. The stone must go in this year if we are to roof Boleskine and save it for the future! We therefore appreciate any and all support we can receive.