8 bedroom house for sale

Tenure: Freehold

Situation

Heatherfield House enjoys a predominant west facing site with charming mature garden grounds which seasonally are awash with colour. A red stone chipped driveway sweeps off Albert Road down towards the main house where there is plenty space for a number of cars. Albert Road is at the heart of Oban's Centre and very well positioned for a guest house. The main shops are only a few minutes walk away.

The town of Oban is the largest port in the West of Scotland and the main ferry terminus for the Hebrides. Ferries from Oban serve Mull and many of the inner Hebridean islands as well as Barra and South Uist in the Western Isles. Oban (meaning 'little bay' in Gaelic) has a population of approximately 8,500 and is known as 'The Gateway to the Isles'. It originally existed as a small fishing and trading village until the steamers of the late Victorian era started arriving in greater numbers. The arrival of the railway in 1880 confirmed its growing status. The most outstanding feature in Oban is McCaig's Tower which is also known as McCaig's Folly. This was built in 1897 to provide work for local stone masons and provide a lasting monument to the McCaig Family. The original intention was to complete it with a large tower placed in the middle but this, like the intended statues of the McCaig family, never materialised. The tower is clearly visible from Heatherfield House.

Oban is also arguably the centre for the West Coast sailing scene and still retains a large fishing fleet.

Oban boasts a wide variety of shops, sporting and transport facilities. Restaurants, cafes and bars abound, many with live bands and ceilidhs and, for the energetic, swimming and other sports can be enjoyed at the Atlantis Leisure Centre.

Description

Heatherfield House is a charming Victorian villa which at present trades well as a busy upmarket guest house. It is built in stone under a slate roof and has some wonderful, typically Scottish features like stone pediments above the windows and stone finials.

It is thought to date from 1875 when it was called St John's House. We understand that it was at one time owned by John Stuart McCaig, the wealthy philanthropic banker who commissioned Oban's famous McCaig's Tower. After his death in 1902, the house was passed to his sister Catherine. We also understand it was used as a billet for airmen during the Second World War.

Whilst more recently it has served the needs of many tourists who visit the area and traded as a guest house, it would also make a wonderful family home as the Victorian architects intended. The present owners have owned it since 2007 and have comprehensively upgraded it to include a new kitchen and a number of new bathrooms.

Accommodation

It offers flexible accommodation over two levels which comprises nearly 3500 sqft and offers 8 bedrooms in all. An entrance porch leads to the main reception hallway off which are a formal dining room, an en suite bedroom and an inner hall. Off the inner hall is a sitting room which is south facing, has a wood burning stove set into a substantial wooden fireplace and is most contemporary in its decoration. A breakfast room which is decorated in a French style leads to a further double bedroom and the kitchen which was refitted in 2007. It has an excellent range of white modern units with tiled splashbacks and a tiled floor. It includes a five ring gas hob, hood and electric oven and grill. Off the kitchen is a substantial utility room and pantry. On the first floor there are 6 further bedrooms used as guest accommodation, 5 of which have en suite facilities and a further double bedroom with a shower room, and an office. The owner accommodation is totally independent of the guest accommodation.

Grounds
Heatherfield House has a larger plot than one might expect for a property so close to the town centre.
It offers off street parking for a number of cars and a split level garden with beautiful, seasonally colourful borders and manicured lawn. To the rear of the property there is a landscaped courtyard with shed.

Directions

From Glasgow follow the M8 westbound and take the cut off for the Erskine Bridge. Cross the bridge and filter left (A82) signposted Crianlarich, following signs for Loch Lomond on the right hand side and continue to Tarbet. Turn right at Tarbet onto the A82 and on reaching Crianlarich turn left onto the A85 and continue to Oban. Follow the main road into Oban and at the mini roundabout turn left down Dunollie Road which becomes George Street which is the main shopping street. Turn sharp left up Albert Road with Heatherfield House on the left hand side.