In a feat of extraordinary timing, the House of Craigie, near Craigie, in Ayrshire, was completed just before before the last pitched battle ever fought in Britain. On one of the property’s cornerstones is engraved a date — Apryle 8, 1746 — which is only eight days ahead of the brutal Battle of Culloden, which saw the Duke of Cumberland’s army beat Charles Edward Stuart and his Jacobites, changing the history of the Scottish Highlands.
The historic property, which is B-listed, once belonged to the Duke of Portland, passing in 1942 to Sir James Finlay Muir of Braco Castle, in Perthshire, and, in 1967, to Lady Sara Elena Collins of publishing fame, who added an all-weather tennis court to the grounds. It has now come has now come to the market with Bell Ingram at an asking price of £1.95 million.
Today, the House of Craigie, which enjoys long views across the countryside to the Firth of Clyde and Kintyre to the Paps of Jura beyond, has several large reception rooms (some of which have Adam-style fireplaces), plus a kitchen with AGA, a games room and an indoor swimming pool on the ground floor, and four bedrooms on the first floor, with a beautiful cantilevered staircase linking the two.
Four further bedrooms are situated on the top floor and additional accommodation is available in five cottages, which are arranged around an L-shaped courtyard with separate entrance. Planning permission is in place to build an additional three cottages, each with two bedrooms.
The grounds extend to eight acres, which, alongside the cottages and Lady Sarah’s tennis court, include a paddock. There is also an Edwardian peach house, which is currently being renovated and will be re-erected soon.
‘House of Craigie is an exceptional property, which is likely to appeal to both buyers looking for a private residence in an outstanding location or looking for a business opportunity,' says selling agent Jillian McCulloch. And on the practical side, ‘with six dwellings presently existing and an agriculturally registered paddock, the property benefits from reduced LBTT rates.’
Houses of this quality, continues Ms McCulloch, ‘rarely come up for sale in this area of Ayrshire so we expect a great deal of interest.’
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