Haunted Glasgow home sold for millions

Would you buy a haunted property? Construction company, Marshall CDP, wasn't put off by the spooky tales of 6/7 Blythswood Square and bought the townhouse for £2.45M.

Situated in an enviable location in the city centre and within a beautiful townhouse building in Glasgow's Blythswood Square, the property is said to be haunted by Madeleine Smith who stood trial accused of poisoning her lover in 1857.

Despite passing away in America, where she eventually moved to, legend has it that the property has been haunted for more than 100 years by Madeleine's spirit after she was cleared of murdering her lover Pierre Emile L'Angelier with arsenic in an unprecedented tale (at the time) of debauchery, blackmail and death.

After breaking Victorian tradition and starting a relationship with L'Angelier, which Madeleine then attempted to end, her spurned lover threatened to use letters she had written to him to blackmail her into marrying him.

At her trial in 1857 the whole of Scotland was scandalised by newspaper accounts of pre-marital sex and arsenic poisoning.

Picture: Image from the Scottish trial of Madeline Smith in "Trial of Madeline Smith" by A. Duncan Smith, Wikicomms

Yet the young and attractive Miss Smith walked free after a verdict of "not proven". Even today opinion is split as to whether she was framed, or got away with the murder of L'Angelier.

After sitting empty for years, the new owners have plans to transform the space and utilise the property's position in the heart of the business district.

Alison Taylor, Senior Director for Business Space at GVA who sold the property, said: “Despite being vacant for several years the sustained level of interest in the building and intense competition for Grade A space in Glasgow made a sale inevitable. Enquiries came in for a number of end uses including hotels, office and residential.

“The price represents a capital rate of about £150 sq ft. This is an increase from under £100 per sq. ft. on sales of similar townhouse properties in the city that we have been involved in recently. However at present the Glasgow market remains undervalued and offers good value to investors."