The former home of paedophile Jimmy Savile in the Scottish Highlands has been demolished.
It comes after an outcry from locals over the ‘eyesore’ cottage which was labelled a blot on the Glencoe landscape over its links to Savile.
The abandoned property has also been smothered in graffiti with one tag reading ‘bye Jimmy’.
During the 13 years Savile owned Allt-na-Reigh he would often host guests there and it is believed he abused up to 20 victims inside the remote home.
In 2021, the cottage was bought by the director of Green’s grocery chain Harris Aslam.
He envisioned a new modern home dedicated to legendary mountaineer Hamish MacInnes who lived in the cottage before Savile.
The plan was to completely demolish the old cottage and build a new home from scratch.
In 2024, councillors approved the demolition of the property but there had been concerns that it was still standing.
Pictured: The former home of paedophile Jimmy Savile in the Scottish Highlands
During the 13 years Savile owned Allt-na-Reigh he would often host guests there and it is believed he abused up to 20 victims inside the remote home
But now demolition is set to take place.
A spokesperson for Mr Aslam’s Glenshire Properties had said: ‘We are grateful to Highland Council for their swift support in approving a demolition warrant for Allt-na-Reigh, and for their continued assistance as the project progresses.
‘Demolition works are now under way in accordance with all approved planning permissions and building warrant consents.
‘The site has been fully secured, and we respectfully ask members of the public to refrain from accessing the area while demolition and subsequent construction works are ongoing, in the interest of safety.’
Fort William and Ardnamurchan councillor Andrew Baxter said he had been ’embarrassed by it every time’ he drove past.
He said: ‘I used to be a tour guide and I used to take visitors from around the world past that site and I would deliberately talk about things the other side of the road out the other window to try and distract them from this eyesore.
‘Photos of it were shared around the world because it became a sort of Instagram selfie site for many people as well.
‘The number of social media photos I see of people posing outside it is extraordinary.’
Savile became a regular in Glencoe village, with residents saying he was an ‘attention seeker’ who would wander around in a Highland kilt waving at passing tourists
The Glenshire spokesperson added: ‘We recognise the significance of this location, set against the striking backdrop of the Three Sisters, and we are committed to delivering a sensitive and high-quality family home that reflects its surroundings.
‘As part of this, we also intend to create a commemoration to Dr Hamish MacInnes and his truly remarkable legacy, including the MacInnes stretcher and the Terradactyl ice axe, both of which were developed in the outbuilding on the site.’
Savile, the Top of the Pops and Jim’ll Fix It presenter was outed as one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders after his death aged 84 in 2011.
The disgraced broadcaster lived in Allt-na-Reigh, on the A82, from 1998 until he died after first seeing the cottage on a cycling holiday in 1944.
The DJ once entertained Prince Charles over dinner at the cottage and it was featured in notorious Louis Theroux documentary When Louis Met Jimmy.
He became a regular in Glencoe village, with residents saying he was an ‘attention seeker’ who would wander around in a Highland kilt waving at passing tourists.
One man from the area described how he had asked for the DJ’s autograph and instead got a bizarre message from him that read ‘lost girls’ should visit him.
Savile owned the cottage for about 13 years, but some have expressed disappointment that his relatively short association with the property has overshadowed its longer history.
The little house is dwarfed by the spectacular scenery including the nearby Three Sisters ridges of the 1,150m (3,773ft) mountain Biden nam Bian.
Its name, Allt-na-Reigh, roughly translates from its mangled Gaelic as ‘burn of the slope’, a reference to the stream that rushes close by and down under a bridge on the A82.
Over the years, the cottage was on a working croft, a small farm with a few cows.
It also served as a roadman’s cottage with its occupant keeping the nearby road safe for travellers.
Following Savile’s death in 2011, the two-bedroom bungalow was put up for auction.
It was purchased for £212,000 with the buyer intending to live there. It was later bought by Mr Aslam.
