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The Wester Ross island that was sold for just £50 in the 1950s





Tanera
Tanera

In a blog post by Old Weird Scotland, it was revealed that the Wester Ross Island of Sgeirean Glasa in the Summer Isles was auctioned for just £50 in 1958.

The Summer Isles, off the coast from Achiltibuie, consist of about 20 islands, rocks and skerries.

The auction, as according to articles by the Scotsman and the Oban Times from 1958, shows that the Summer Isles were sold for as little as £50.

Buyers of Sgeirean Glasa, Barrabel Mason, who was 12 at the time, and her siblings Fiona and Donald, and cousin Phillip, all pooled their pocket money to buy the island.

Taking inflation into account, £50 in 1958 would now be worth an estimated £1165.18 in 2023, according to comparison website Inflation Tool, which is still a bit of a bargain for an island.

In today's property market, characterised by deep concern for a lack of affordable housing, the most that £1165 might get you is a month's rent on a three–bedroom bungalow – never mind purchasing an island.

Scotsman, October 24, 1958.
Scotsman, October 24, 1958.

The largest of the Summer Isles which were up for auction in 1958, Priest Island (300 acres) was sold for £700, or an estimated £16,300 in today's terms.

Although Tanera Mòr wasn't part of the auction in 1958, it was sold in 2017 for £1.7 million, which still shows a staggering difference in how the market has changed.

The changes seen in the property market over the last 65 years have been extreme. In one of many examples, last a month a three–bedroom cottage in Plockton went up for sale, for a whopping £525,000, raising concerns about affordable housing in the Highlands.

It's certainly a far cry from saving up your pocket money to buy an island.


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