— HISTORY —
Lossiemouth House was built in 1779, during the
reign of King George III. It was the first substantial house built in
the town of Lossiemouth and was constructed as a dower house for Lady
Agnes Gordon of Gordonstoun (whose estates now form the confines of
Gordonstoun School). The photograph below shows Lossiemouth House
(the 2nd on the left) and the extent of its original gardens.
Lossiemouth itself is a small fishing town, about six miles North of
Elgin. The town was originally developed as a port for the nearby
city of Elgin, 6 miles to the south, after growing sand deposits
made the previous port at Spynie inaccessible. The photograph below
shows the original harbour at Lossiemouth. This area is now a pleasure
boat marina.
Lossiemouth is the birthplace of James Ramsay MacDonald, who became
the first Labour Prime Minister in 1924. The house that Ramsay
MacDonald was born in is round the corner from Lossiemouth House.
Currently, there is a Royal Air Force base located just to the
south-west of the town. This was originally a flying training school
and then the Royal Navy Air Station, HMS Fulmar, before it was handed
over to the RAF in 1972. There are three squadrons based at RAF
Lossiemouth, including the Tornado GR1B jets and Sea King search and
rescue helicopters.
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