6 bedroom detached house for sale

Tenure: Freehold

Situation

Cauldhame Estate enjoys a spectacular location at the western end of the Ochil Hills with superb views across the historically renowned Sheriffmuir to the west and to the high peaks of the Trossachs and the southern Grampian mountains in the north.

The popular city of Dunblane is situated about 4 miles to the south of Cauldhame, with Stirling about 10 miles west. With Glasgow (28 miles) and Edinburgh (36 miles), Cauldhame is very well positioned for commuting to either and is even closer to both airports. There is plenty of room to land a helicopter within the grounds.

Dunblane and Bridge of Allan provide most every day services with including petrol stations and supermarkets and there is a wider range of shops, leisure and recreational services in Stirling. There are excellent local independent schools including, Strathallan, Kilgraston, Morrisons Academy, Dollar Academy and Beacon Hurst, as well as Ardvreck and Craigclowan (Prep Schools) all nearby. The campus for the University of Stirling is at Bridge of Allan.

There are many opportunities to play golf and tennis in Dunblane and Bridge of Allan, and on the world famous championship courses at Gleneagles only 12 miles away. There is driven grouse, pheasant and partridge shooting available at Cauldhame and driven grouse nearby and other attractions such as the Blair Drummond Safari Park, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and walks in the Ochil Hills. The well regarded Sheriffmuir Inn is within walking distance.

Description

During the Jacobite rising in 1715, the Battle of Sheriffmuir took place on the moor in front of Cauldhame during which the Earl of Mar's rebel forces were sent into disarray by the Royalist army under the Duke of Argyll. The women and children were reputed to have watched the battle from Cauldhame where they had taken refuge. The house was also celebrated in the ballad "Braes of Cauldhame" as well as two children's books.

Over the years the estate has been known under various names including Inverochill and Blair Ochil but reverted to Cauldhame at the turn of the 20th century.

It was bought by Colonel Stirling of Kippendane in 1910 and remained connected with that family for almost 80 years.

Accommodation

Cauldhame is a superb all round estate. It extends to about 119 acres and includes a very comfortable country house, three well appointed cottages, useful outbuildings, stables, 64 acres of woodland plantations, and about 54 acres of productive grass parks and permanent pasture. There are wonderful opportunities for shooting, horse riding and wildlife (with a recent RSPB report identifying 54 different species of birds) and significant potential to further develop a thriving holiday letting business.

The original house is said to have been built in the early 17th Century. The name Cauldhame is derived from "cauld house" -a primitive inn selling cold food only - and was situated on the drove road from the Highlands to Stirling, the Falkirk Trust and the south. The house was purchased as a private dwelling in Victorian times and the tower was added in 1860.

Constructed principally of locally stone which is painted cream under a pitched slate roof, the house faces North West taking full advantage of the magnificent views to the mountains of West Perthshire and the Trossachs including Ben Ledi, Stuc a'chroinn and Ben Vorlich. The gardens on the South side catch the sun.

In the past 5 years considerable investment has been made in the property with the old kitchen and ancilliary rooms re-modelled to provide a superb family room (currently used a s full sized snooker room) and large modern kitchen/breakfast room which opens into a lovely conservatory. It has a new oil-fired central heating system and refurbished bathrooms. There are three cottages, created from the former Coach House and Stables which currently let on short term holiday basis and along with the remaining outbuildings have all been refurbished.

The accommodation at Cauldhame is bright and spacious and makes the absolute most of the outstanding views. The front door is in the tower which opens into a welcoming hall. The old cloakroom is now a full sized bathroom adjacent to the downstairs bedroom with the sunroom next door. A lovely farmhouse kitchen with 4 oven Aga opens into the dining room and to the newly created family room and has a conservatory attached. A separate study and boot room lie at the back door. Upstairs there is a wonderful drawing room with duel wood and coal burning stove, master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and dressing room, 2 further bedrooms and shower room The tower stair leads on to 3 spacious attic bedrooms and separate wc.




Gardens and Grounds
The gardens at Cauldhame extend to over 10 acres and are a particularly fine feature highlighted by the wonderful array rhododendrons and azaleas beneath mature arboretum trees including lime, beech and copper beech and oak.

A short distance from the house is a lovely formal garden, sheltered by a high hedge and full of orchard trees. Looking over them is an original Victorian octagonal gazebo built of timber with a slate roof.

The garden, described in the history of the Battle of Sheriffmuir as an orchard, existed in Victorian times but was re-landscaped before the second world war by Mrs Stirling under the tutelage of Roland Preece, the well known landscape gardener. There is evidence of garden stone work, steps and ballastrades leading to paths and avenues which link the gardens to the surrounding park and woodland as well as to two very pretty ponds overlooked by a summerhouse. These ponds are fed by the same natural stream which provides water to the house, and were once stocked with trout.

Leading northwest from the house and gardens is the route of the former back drive, which is lined on either side by an avenue of lime and beech and which could be opened up if required.

Outbuildings
There is a useful range of outbuildings including an L-shaped barn with a pitched slate roof incorporating hay, straw and log storage, and covered parking for six cars and log storage.

There is a separate two door garage and workshop and an old squash court which has been converted to provide additional storage for machinery etc.

A short distance from the front of the house, a gravel track leads to a stables building of timber construction incorporating six looseboxes with a concrete floor and a concrete apron to the front. The building has mains electricity , is floodlight and has a water supply. There is also an open manege.

In the field there is corrugated iron and timber pony shelter.

Estate Cottages

There are three traditional stone cottages on the estate set out within the old stables and courtyard buildings. Each has been fully modernised and is well presented and has had 3 star tourist board approval. The holiday lets are not run on a full time basis but have potential to generate a gross income of between £40,000 and £50,000. There is considerable further scope to convert the remaining outbuildings and develop the holiday letting business.

Stables Cottage
Porch, fitted Kitchen/Dining room (4.7m x 3.8m), hall, Sitting room (3.8m x 3.8m) with wooden panelling and original range. Bathroom/shower,
Bedroom 1 (5.2m x 4.3m), Bedroom 2 (5.2m x 3.8m).
Beside the cottage there is a single car garage/workshop with room above and floored loft over the Garden Cottage.

Garden Cottage
A single storey cottage of stone construction with an enclosed garden to the front. The cottage has oil-fired central heating.
Porch, Hall, Sitting room 3.9m x 3.7m, Kitchen 6.1m x 2.3m. Bedroom 1 4.1m x 2.9m. Bedroom 2 4.05 x 2.56m, En-suite shower room, Bedroom 3 4.43m x 2.91m.
Bathroom . Bath, WC and wash basin.

The three cottages overlook a communal garden with beds of plants and herbaceous shrubs, together with a lawn and drying green. There is also a greenhouse and two plum trees.

Barn Cottage
A separate single storey cottage facing into the courtyard and again recently renovated.
Hall, sitting room/kitchen, 2 bedrooms and bathroom.

Farmland
Surrounding the house, cottages and outbuildings at Cauldhame are 54 acres of grassland and permanent pasture.

The fields have been grazed on seasonal grazing agreements to a neighbouring farmer.

Woodland
Extending to about 64 acres in total, the woodlands at Cauldhame comprise a mix of coniferous and deciduous plantations which have been strategically planted to make the best advantage of the topography for the purposes of amenity, sporting and livestock shelter. The woodlands are currently managed on contract with Scottish Woodlands.

Sporting
Cauldhame is ideally placed to provide excellent shooting. The woods have been planted with pheasant shooting in mind, have pheasant release pens and currently form the basis for a family shoot. Shooting in past years has been let to a local syndicate as part of an extensive shoot and the potential to develop a driven pheasant shoot for private use is considerable.

There are woodcock during the winter, duck flighting on the ponds, and woodpigeon shooting in the mature woods.

Roe deer stalking in and around the woods is available.

There is lovely countryside to walk in and ride over and with the estate perimeter being about 4 miles round and there is easy access onto the surrounding Sheriffmuir and Ochil Hills.

Directions

From Edinburgh, Glasgow or Perth, leave the M80 at the Dunblane round-a-bout, taking the B8033, in to Dunblane. Continue along the B8033 past the sports centre and at the next round-a-bout take the last exit signposted to Sheriffmuir.. Follow this minor road for about 4 miles, passing the monument to the Battle of Sheriffmuir, to the T-junction before the Sheriffmuir Inn. Turn right and follow the road over the bridge and past two cottages for about half a mile and the gates to Cauldhame House are on the left.