When talking about A-listers in Scottish property, it’s generally a reference to the listed building system north of the border, which uses letters instead of the Roman numerals of the English system.
This time, though, it refers both to that and to a very different A-lister: the iconic rock star Bob Dylan, who is selling Aultmore House, the Highland retreat he’s owned for almost 20 years. Tom Stewart-Moore of Knight Frank in Edinburgh is handling the sale and seeks ‘offers over £3m’ for Category A-listed home.
The house sits in 24 acres of formal and walled gardens — which include a greenhouse they'd be proud of at Kew — as well as paddocks and woodland at Nethy Bridge in the heart of the Cairngorms, six miles from Grantown on Spey, 13 miles from Aviemore and 35 miles from Inverness.
Approached along a private, tree-lined drive, Aultmore House offers more than 18,000sq ft of elegant accommodation on three floors, including four grand reception rooms, 16 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.
The property features many elements and designs introduced by the original owner, including Adam-style fireplaces in the reception rooms, exquisite plasterwork on ceilings and archways and timber floors and facings throughout.
The wiring, heating and hot-water systems were upgraded in 2007–08, and, more recently, smoke alarms and emergency lighting have been installed.
Aultmore was bought by the legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and his brother, David, in 2006, before a further refurbishment of the house and its three cottages, which have been let over the years as a wedding and holiday venue.
Aultmore House was commissioned by Aberdonian industrialist Archibald Merrilees as the family’s summer residence and built between 1911 and 1915 to the designs of the eminent Edwardian architect C. H. B Quennell. Sadly, Merrilees died in 1917, having spent only one summer at Aultmore.
Sold after the war in 1922, the house was extended by the Nivinson family with the addition of a nursery wing on the north side. Aultmore remained in Nivinson family ownership until 1978, having served as a convalescent home during the Second World War.
It was later a finishing school for foreign students and an upmarket B&B, but gradually fell into disrepair before being sold in November 2000 and subsequently restored before Dylan bought it in 2006.
Aultmore House is for sale at ‘offers over £3m’ via Knight Frank — see more pictures and details.
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
Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale
A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.
-
Some of the finest landscapes in the North of England with a 12-bedroom home attachedUpper House in Derbyshire shows why the Kinder landscape was worth fighting for.
-
The Great Gatsby, pugs and the Mitford sisters: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 16, 2025Wednesday's quiz tests your knowledge on literature, National Parks and weird body parts.
-
Some of the finest landscapes in the North of England with a 12-bedroom home attached
Upper House in Derbyshire shows why the Kinder landscape was worth fighting for.
-
Could Gruber's Antiques from Paddington 2 be your new Notting Hill home?It was the home of Mr Gruber and his antiques in the film, but in the real world, Alice's Antiques could be yours.
-
What should 1.5 million new homes look like?The King's recent visit to Nansledan with the Prime Minister gives us a clue as to Labour's plans, but what are the benefits of traditional architecture? And can they solve a housing crisis?
-
Welcome to the modern party barn, where disco balls are 'non-negotiable'A party barn is the ultimate good-time utopia, devoid of the toil of a home gym or the practicalities of a home office. Modern efforts are a world away from the draughty, hay-bales-and-a-hi-fi set-up of yesteryear.
-
Five beautiful homes, from a barn conversion to an island treasure, as seen in Country LifeOur pick of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in recent days include a wonderful thatched home in Devon and a charming red-brick house with gardens that run down to the water's edge.
-
The finest interiors in Edinburgh? A seven-bedroom townhouse furnished by Robert Kime comes to marketSituated on one of the New Town's grandest terraces, this four-storey property is a collector's dream.
-
A Grade II*-listed country manor with one of the most beautiful drawing rooms in EnglandIf Old Manor Farm in Somerset is good enough for Pevsner, it's good enough for you.
-
An eight-bedroom home in Surrey where an army of robots will look after your lawnsDo not fear the bladed guardians of Monksfield House. They are here to help.
