5 bedroom detached house for sale

Tenure: Freehold

Situation


Craighead House is set in its own grounds in a beautiful rural situation with outstanding views reaching beyond the Carse of Stirling to the Campsie Fells in the south and Stirling Castle to the east. To the west and north, the horizon is cut by Ben Lomond and Ben Ledi and a dramatic highland skyline.

The property has quick access to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth via the M80 and the M9 motorways which converge only 6 miles to the east near Stirling. International airports at Glasgow (43 miles) and Edinburgh (37 miles) offer regular scheduled services to London and other UK cities, as well as services to an increasing number of foreign destinations.

Craighead is well served by local amenities. There are local primary schools in Thornhill, Doune and Blair Drummond, which are feeders for the McLaren High School in Callander. There are also good private schools serving the area: Beaconhurst School in Bridge of Allan, Morrison's Academy and Ardvreck Preparatory School in Crieff, and Dollar Academy. The villages of Doune (4.5 miles) and Thornhill (3 miles) have good local convenience stores and Stirling has a more comprehensive range of facilities including swimming pool, cinema, restaurants and supermarkets. Bridge of Allan is home to Stirling University (9.5 miles) where members of the pulic can use the sports centre and the MacRoberts Art Centre with both theatre and cinema.
The property is well positioned for outdoor sporting pursuits. In the local area there is a good representation of equestrian facilities and golf clubs and only 7 miles away The Trossachs National Park is a treasured wilderness that extends beyond Loch Lomond, which lies 20 miles to the west, and stretches as far north as Tyndrum. To the north-east Gleneagles Hotel and its associated Country Club (20 miles) provide a further extensive range of sports and leisure facilities.

Description


The subjects for sale comprise two lots. Lot 1 is Craighead House and its extensive grounds and outbuildings including the walled garden, the former estate office and garaging. Lot 2 is Craighead Lodge and its associated garden.

LOT 1 - CRAIGHEAD HOUSE

Craighead House is believed to date back to the 17th century. Since then it has been extended and added to each century; the most recent renovations were carried out some 10 years ago, when it was inherited by the sellers, whose family has owned the property for almost a century. The house, built originally as a farmhouse, is constructed in a traditional Scottish style. It has a harled and painted exterior, with astragal sash and case windows, under a slate roof and is in a well maintained state.

ACCOMMODATION

The interior of Craighead House has been modestly gentrified over its history and provides comfortable and flexible family accommodation. Delicate cornicing and panelled doors feature throughout the house and many of the windows have shutters.

The front porch opens into a centrally positioned hall with sitting room and dining room lying on opposite sides, both of which enjoy panoramic views to the south and are dual aspect with views over the garden to the west and east respectively. An under stair door opens to steps down to a large wine cellar located beneath the hall.

The dining room links to the kitchen via a serving hatch and a door to the adjacent passage. The sitting room has an open fireplace with a wooden mantel and leads directly through to the fabulous family kitchen. This large kitchen has ample fitted units, a British racing green Aga and generously proportioned dining area. A door leads to a passage with larder and pantry off to one side and the dining room hatch to the other. The passage continues round to a side entrance and ancillary rooms comprising a cloakroom with WC, a laundry and a further WC situated next to the back door. The boiler room is accessed from outside but provides a convenient coal and log store as well as supplementary drying room.

From the hall an elegant stone staircase sweeps up to the spacious and bright first floor landing. The drawing room is immediately on the left. It has a splendid open fireplace which is flanked by windows looking north to Ben Ledi over the gardens and landscape to the back of the house.

The master bedroom suite, comprising bedroom, en suite bathroom and dressing room, occupies the whole of the west side of the first floor. The bedroom has fabulous views to the south and west. The en suite bathroom has WC and both bath and separate shower. Additional accommodation on the first floor consists of two studies which could also be used as single bedrooms, a family bathroom, two further bedrooms (one with en suite), a linen room and WC.

The second floor provides two further bedrooms and a bathroom.

OUTBUILDINGS

Craighead House has a useful range of buildings providing office, storage, garaging and work rooms which are situated to the rear of the main house next to the back entrance to the property.

The accommodation, which is all single storey, includes the former estate office which has a lobby and two offices beyond. Next to this is the former gun room which is fitted out with shelves and cupboards.

The garage is easily large enough to accommodate four cars. Beyond this there are further stores, potting sheds, coal store, a tool shed, two greenhouses and cold frames. There is a workshop with workbench and storage with a further lean-to wood store off. A 6,000 litre kerosene tank is positioned on the opposite side of the courtyard adjacent to the walled garden.

GARDENS AND GROUNDS

Craighead House gardens and grounds including Craighead Lodge extend to about 5.93 acres.

The tree lined, asphalt drive is flanked to the north by a small paddock and to the south by a copse of mature mixed conifer and broadleaved trees. The drive leads to a gravel parking and turning area to the front of the house and then turns to the rear of the property towards the garages, outbuildings and ultimately the back gate. Beyond the gravel a lawn wraps around the house to the west side where a gated archway links the garden at the front of the house to the walled garden. The lawn falls away towards the south down a bank with a network of paths leading through the woodland. At the south west point of the property there is an old stone wash house, which has been adapted for use as a charming children's playhouse.

To the west and rear of the house is a wonderfully sheltered walled garden. It is divided by a beech hedge to create a formal garden with a terrace and lawn bordered by a variety of herbaceous plants. Through an archway in the hedge is the productive traditional walled garden with lean-to greenhouse and espaliered fruit trees. While the vegetable garden has been reduced in recent years to only a relatively modest section along the south-facing wall, the remaining expanse has been maintained as a meadow and, if not to be returned to its former glory, could accommodate a hard tennis court nicely.

The woodland and grounds transform brilliantly through the seasons. No sooner have the drifts of snowdrops seen off the winter than the daffodils arrive, only to be followed by a glorious display of wild bluebells and cherry blossom welcoming the summer. Seasonal colour is maintained into the autumn with Japanese maples by the rear lawn and the bank of dogwoods on the south facing bank in front of the main house.

CRAIGHEAD LODGE - LOT 2

The traditional gate lodge is a well maintained single storey property, built of stone and harled under a slated roof. It has recently been refurbished to incorporate improved insulation and a modern central heating system throughout served by a new combi-boiler. The property has been let out successfully in recent years but with the sale in mind is currently vacant.

The front entrance to the lodge is via a vestibule opening onto a small hallway. There are doors through to the sitting room and the first of two bedrooms. The sitting room, with a bay window and open fire, leads through to the kitchen, bathroom and second bedroom.

The back entrance to the lodge leads from a small terrace to a rear lobby opening to the fitted kitchen. The sitting room is accessed through one door and a second door opens to a passage leading past the bathroom, with WC, wash hand basin and bath with shower over, to the second bedroom. There is an external storeroom opposite the back door.

The lodge is surrounded by a pretty lawned garden, fenced and hedged off from the rest of the Craighead property. It has its own access drive off the main road and a parking area to the rear of the property.

The Lodge is let on a 6 month Short Assured Tenancy from 1 September 2012.

Accommodation

Directions


Driving north on the M9 past Stirling leave the motorway at junction 10 and take the A84 signposted to Callander. At the next roundabout, take the second exit onto the A84. After about 4 miles take the left hand junction onto the A873 signposted to Aberfoyle. After a further mile turn left onto the B8031.

The entrance to the drive to Craighead House is about a mile along the B8031, on the left hand side. It has white painted iron gates and is next to Craighead Lodge.