Jimmy Savile’s homes: what happened to sex offender’s abandoned Glencoe property - is it still there

Jimmy Savile is one of the UK’s most notorious sex offenders, though never brought to justice for his crimes the BBC star is believed to have abused more than 400 victims over a 54 year period.

During his life, Savile was a celebrated entertainer, protected by his fame and high profile connections - he counted Prime Ministers and members of the Royal Family among his friends.

Additionally, Savile amassed a considerable fortune during his TV and radio career, and was a multimillionaire at the time of his death. He used his considerable fortune to buy several properties.

Many of his victims are believed to have been abused at his homes, leaving the buildings as a grim reminder of Savile’s crimes. Whilst Savile’s grand £4,000 headstone was removed ‘out of respect for public opinion’ in 2012, brick and mortar homes present a larger task.

This is what happened to Savile’s properties in the 12 years since his death.

How many properties did Jimmy Savile own?

Jimmy Savile owned at least five properties at the time of his death - a Scarborough apartment, flats in London, Bournemouth and his hometown of Leeds, and a cottage in the Scottish Highlands.

His cottage, called Allt Na Reigh, featured in Louis Theroux’s documentary When Louis Met Jimmy. Savile also hosted the then Prince Charles at the cottage for a meal in 1999.

Savile died in his Leeds penthouse property in 2011, aged 84. It was shortly after his death that widespread accusations of sex abuse came out.

What happened to Jimmy Savile’s Glencoe cottage?

Savile’s Glencoe property, Allt Na Reigh, is the most well-known of his residencies, and it is believed that he abused up to 20 young women, girls and boys there. The property had previously been owned by mountaineer Hamish MacInnes before Savile purchased it in 1998.

The property was sold at auction for £212,000, more than double the asking price, in 2013 but since then it has remained unoccupied, has not been developed and instead fallen into disrepair.

The cottage has also been targeted by vandals over the years, with the words ‘paedo’, ‘Jimmy the Beast’, and ‘Glen Savile’ daubed on the whitewashed walls in red and black paint.

The property has been damaged by fires and the roof has started to collapse. It has been earmarked for demolition in the past but due to opposition from mountaineering groups who want to see it put to use as a climbing club, the building has remained standing.

What happened to Savile’s other homes?

Jimmy Savile’s Leeds penthouse flat, where he died, was demolished in October 2016.

It was Savile’s main residence for the last 30 years of his life, and at least one of his victims is thought to have been abused there.

A couple living in a next door flat bought the property in 2013 and sought permission to demolish it because it had been left in a terrible condition and build a new flat in its place.

Savile’s flat in Scarborough was bought by Sir Rodney Walker, a prominent anti-child abuse campaigner. Walker said that he intended to use the flat as a holiday home for his family.

The Bournemouth flat, which Savile had planned to move into later in his life, was sold at auction along with his London property in the months after his death for an unknown amount.