Sandford Lodge is well hidden from prying eyes.
But during a recent trip to Peterhead, I decided to check out the gutted remains of the fire-hit mansion.
However, Google Maps failed me, taking me to an empty spot beside a closed-up, fenced-off garage just off the A90.
Had it in fact been demolished, I wondered? Because I knew that there were rumours of it being ripped down after the fire took hold in August 2015.
A quick check with a local historian friend assured me it was still standing, and I soon located it at the opposite side of the road, in the shadow of Peterhead Power Station.
An overgrown track led down towards the sea, and within a few minutes I found myself facing a series of dilapidated outbuildings.
Just beyond these was an old walled garden, still impressive and bearing fruit, including apples galore.
A ‘miniature mansion house’
And then I spotted the tall chimneys of Sandford Lodge.
The B-listed building, constructed around 1800, was described by architectural historian Charles McKean, as a “miniature mansion house”, and, in my opinion, it’s a seriously impressive edifice.
It would have been even more impressive before the fire which rendered it roofless and ruinous.
Today, only the shell of the building remains, and it’s ringed by foreboding looking security fencing.
I peered through the railings and took a series of photographs, desperately keen to explore further but not wishing to risk impaling myself on a fence spike.
The building is partially boarded up, with metal bars pinned across some windows, and vegetation sprouting from nooks and crannies.
What looks like the frame of a child’s swing sits rusting in the garden in front – but it’s clearly not been used for years.
A path runs down to a lovely sandy beach, with sweeping views of the bay and rocky foreshore. It’s a nice place for a picnic.
History of Sandford Lodge
So, what’s the story behind Sandford Lodge?
It’s had a succession of owners, and possibly the first was James Skelton, the sheriff-substitute of Peterhead. He was resident there in 1856.
One of the original contractors for the construction of the Suez Canal – William Aiton – lived at the lodge in 1873.
And in the early 20th Century, it was the home of Private Robert Willox of the Gordon Highlanders.
He lived there with his parents, and was one of 10 children.
Robert died aged 25 as a prisoner of war in the Second World War in June 1943 after suffering from beriberi disease. He was buried in Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Thailand.
Arguably the most famous owner was haulage contractor and bus operator James Sutherland, who ran his transport business from the property. He died there in 1933.
Sandford Lodge’s last inhabitants
The last people to live there were Jim and Doreen Miller.
They were there from 1989 to 2007, when they were ‘forced’ into a deal to sell to SSE and moved out to make way for the proposed carbon capture scheme at Peterhead Power Station.
The couple fostered many children at Sandford Lodge over the years, and indulged in their passion for stock car racing.
When I caught up with Jim, he revealed they were very sad to leave.
“We didn’t want to sell,” he lamented. “It was the ideal spot to foster children, with a walled garden, private beach and huge bedrooms. We made a lot of memories there.
“We had an art student paint the walls with murals of boats, trawlers, planes and dolphins.
“The house has a hell of a history. As soon as we moved out it was boarded up and sealed off, and then a few years later it was set on fire.”
The couple kept animals in the grounds including peacocks, sheep, donkeys, geese and black rabbits – which escaped.
“The black bucks interbred with wild rabbits and you’ll still see some of them round Peterhead,” said Jim.
A bright future?
Before the fire, Sandford Lodge had been earmarked for a possible visitor centre to demonstrate a ground-breaking scheme at Peterhead Power Station.
But Shell and SSE’s pioneering carbon capture scheme was shelved, after the UK government pulled the plug on a national fund for such projects.
Back in 2016, the local community called on the landowners to consider new options for the future of the mansion.
It was suggested it could be transformed into a hotel with glorious views across Sandford Bay.
But since then, nothing has happened – the carbon capture scheme is still awaiting final government approval – and the building has fallen deeper into dereliction.
Lodge could be de-listed
Keen to know what the future holds for Sandford Lodge, I discovered an application had been lodged to de-list it, and the historic C-listed walled garden, by SSE.
Ultimately, if it is de-listed, it could open up options, including demolition.
A spokesman for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said: “We recently received designation proposals asking us to remove the listing of Sandford Lodge and Sandford Lodge Walled Garden.
“We remain at an early stage in our assessment of the site. Any statutory change to the designations would be subject to consultation.”
A spokesperson for SSE, who own the land on which Sandford Lodge sits, said: “A delisting application was submitted to HES by SSE, to allow us the flexibility on options for the building that is now deemed unsafe.
“We appreciate members of the community will be interested in what happens next and a decision is yet to be made on the future of what remains of the building.”
Listed 53 years ago
Sandford Lodge was first listed as category B in April 1971, but the application to de-list it was submitted on August 8, 2024.
The application, which can be viewed at HES’s portal, states: “It has not been reassessed since; the listing does not reflect subsequent alterations, changes in use, and significantly, does not consider the extensive fire damage and erosion of the lodge site which has occurred since.”
It continues: “It’s clear the building’s list entry does not reflect the 21st Century state of the structures, nor reflect the building’s loss of special interest.
“Confirmation of this, by way of a delisting, is therefore sought for Sandford Lodge in order to guide the future management of the site.”
The application also mentions that the site “forms part of a wider designated area of national energy infrastructure”.
But what of Sandford Lodge’s historic significance? Would anyone – apart from me and my local historian friend – care if it were torn down?
- If you have any memories, photos, or views on what should happen to Sandford Lodge, please email gritchie@dcthomson.co.uk
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