An utterly enchanting Georgian home in the Borders, with both a pool house and a hen house, with a price tag of £750,000
The wonderful Tanlaw House is an idyllic family home that's close to the lovely town of Kelso and commutable distance to Edinburgh. Not that you'd want to leave home that often, from the looks of the place.


Sitting on the north bank of the Tweed, a mile or so north-east of Kelso in the Scottish Borders, lies Georgian, Grade C-listed Tanlaw House, which sits amid the wooded 19th-century parkland of the Hendersyde estate.
Protected on three sides by the estate parkland, Tanlaw House enjoys lovely south-easterly views over the Tweed Valley to the Cheviot Hills. This enchanted little slice of the Borders is for sale at offers over £750,000 via Galbraith in Kelso.
Its listing describes it as ‘a good example of an early 19th century estate house surviving largely in its original condition and forming an important element of the group of buildings that form the Hendersyde Estate’.
The house was formerly the coach house to Hendersyde Park, the seat of the Waldie family, whose members included Robert Waldie, a friend of Sir Walter Scott and a regular visitor to Hendersyde, where he made good use of its extensive library.
In those days, the wings to either side of Tanlaw House housed the coach and horses, and were incorporated into the main house in the 1930s.
According to Historic Environment Scotland, early maps show further outbuildings in the garden to the rear that have now been lost.
An interesting survival, however, together with Tanlaw’s gardens, gates and railings, is the listed hen house, a small, symmetrical stone building in its original condition with nesting boxes and a rare underground tunnel that allowed hens to forage beyond the ha-ha — perhaps the only listed hen house in Scotland?
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Acquired by the current vendors in the 1990s, Tanlaw House and its two acres of beautifully landscaped, early-19th-century gardens have been lovingly maintained and improved over time, with the addition of a heated indoor swimming pool and a bow-ended stair tower to the rear.
This peaceful rural retreat offers comfortable accommodation on two floors, including two main reception rooms, four bedrooms, two bath/shower rooms and attics that could be converted to provide extra bedrooms if required.
Tanlaw House is for sale via Galbraith at offers over £750,000 — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country Life
We take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Exploring the countryside is essential for our wellbeing, but Right to Roam is going backwards
Campaigners in England often point to Scotland as an example of how brilliantly Right to Roam works, but it's not all it's cracked up to be, says Patrick Galbraith.
By Patrick Galbraith Published
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country Life
We take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
By Toby Keel Published
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producers
Stormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in Kent
North Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
By James Fisher Published
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streets
This six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
By James Fisher Published
-
A tale of everyday life as lived on Britain's most expensive street
Winnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
By Lotte Brundle Last updated
-
Damon Hill's former home in Marbella is the perfect place to slow down
The glorious Andalusian-style villa is found within the Lomas de Marbella Club and just a short walk from the beach.
By James Fisher Published
-
A 327-acre estate in the heart of 'England’s Côte d’Or', with a 26,000sq ft Georgian style home at its heart
Stokes Hall in the Crouch Valley is an inspiring property looking for a new owner.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Schreiber House, 'the most significant London townhouse of the second half of the 20th century', is up for sale
The five-bedroom Modernist masterpiece sits on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
By Lotte Brundle Published