‘There are many duchesses, but there is only one Coco Chanel’: Europe’s most scandalous affair unfolded in this crumbling mansion

From a distance, Rosehall Mansion looks like just another decaying estate on Scotland’s harsh, lonely moors. Its crumbling facade and collapsing roof suggest little more than abandonment.

But beneath those ruined surfaces lies the story of one of Europe’s most scandalous romances. In the 1920s, far from civilisation, the mansion became the setting for a passionate affair.

The relationship joined one of Europe’s richest men with Coco Chanel, the world-famous fashion designer. The house’s deterioration now conceals the memory of a liaison that once drew attention across Europe.