Today’s excellent colourised photo is this previously unseen picture of Crossbasket. Nicely colourised by ‘Scotland Colourised’ this is of course the waterfall on the River Calder in front of Crossbasket House, now rebranded as Crossbasket Castle.
The falls are nicknamed the 4 Angels on account of the 4 noticeable cascades. This photo is more than 110 years old, but the scene is incredibly similar to today, though the render on the building is now gone. At the time of this photo, Crossbasket was owned by George Neilson, Coalmaster and owner of Spittal Colliery and Summerlee. The family made their fortune in the iron industry expanding into coal mining in the late 19th Century.
Today, Crossbasket Castle is a 5 star luxury hotel and restaurant with ambitions plans to develop newly acquired ground into a spa and further accommodation.