Ballenmuir House and Cottage, St Leonards Road, Forres, IV36

SITUATION
Located in a secluded setting off St. Leonards Road, Ballenmuir House enjoys enormous privacy and yet is within easy reach of the wide range of amenities Forres and the local area have to offer. Forres and Elgin to the east provide a comprehensive range of shopping, dining and leisure amenities whilst Inverness (28 miles) to the west offers all the facilities of a modern city including its Airport (21 miles) which can be reached in around 30 minutes. There are highly regarded primary schools in the local area whilst state secondary schooling is available in Forres which also has a Steiner School. World famous Gordonstoun School is located at Duffus, about 13 miles away.

The County of Moray is famous for its mild climate, beautiful and varied countryside with rich agricultural land, prosperous fishing villages and wide open beaches. The upland areas to the south are sparsely populated and provide dramatic scenery, some of which forms part of the Cairngorm National Park. This unspoilt landscape provides a wide range of leisure and sporting opportunities including fishing on the world famous Spey and Findhorn Rivers, skiing at the Lecht in the Cairngorm range, sailing and walking. There are many golf courses in the area including the neighbouring Forres Golf courses as well as Championship courses at Nairn, Cabot (Castle Stuart) and Lossiemouth. Located about 6 miles to the north-east is the “jewel” of the Moray coastline, the historic village of Findhorn with its sheltered bay, local inns, village shop and watersports facilities.

DESCRIPTION
Ballenmuir House sits in a wonderfully private and peaceful setting off St Leonards Road. Overlooking the Golf Course and beautifully screened by mature woodland, the property enjoys enormous privacy and seclusion and yet is within a short distance of Forres town centre and a wide range of local amenities. Originally built as the Groom’s cottage and stables for nearby Newbold House, Ballenmuir House was at some stage converted and extended into what is now a magnificent family home, offering spacious and flexible accommodation over two storeys.

The accommodation is provided over two storeys and on the ground floor includes a covered entrance / loggia leading to the welcoming kitchen / dining / living room. As the heart of the house, this is a very impressive room and includes various wall and floor units, a central island unit, oil fired Aga, integral appliances and a two way cassette style wood burning stove shared with the spacious formal sitting room. In addition, there is a separate dining room, an office, various useful ancillary stores including a cold store and boiler room, whilst also on the ground floor is a cloak room, office and double bedroom (en suite). On the first floor, a landing leads to a family bathroom, the master suite with a bedroom, private bathroom and dressing room; and two further double bedrooms. A separate wing which once formed part of the stable block includes a separate landing, a shower room and spacious bedroom and sitting area whilst below are a workshop and garden store which provide excellent storage space but also potential for conversion into additional accommodation (subject to obtaining all necessary consents).

For an older property, the house has a wonderfully light and airy feel with the sitting room, open plan kitchen / dining / living room, the dining room and master suite being particularly impressive rooms. The ‘Wing’ accommodation which sits above the garage and workshop offers considerable scope for use as a granny annexe, Air BnB or short term let option. The house has a great many period features with corniced ceilings and fireplaces. It is heated using oil central heating.

Ballenmuir Cottage
Located adjacent to the house is Ballenmuir Cottage. Constructed of stone under a slate roof, this is a most attractive cottage with the accommodation provided over a single storey. From the garden to the front, the front opens into a hallways where doors lead to the right into a bedroom / office and to the left into a delightful sitting room with a wood burning stove. From here, a door leads to a passage from where the kitchen, bathroom and 2 generously sized bedrooms can be accessed. The house is single glazed and is heated using electric wall mounted heaters.

The cottage is currently let on a Short Assured Tenancy to tenants who have been in occupation for nearly thirty years. The passing rent is modest and the cottage may not meet all necessary current repairing standards for a let property. Outside, the cottage has a charming and very well maintained garden which is part enclosed by a mature hedge and stone wall. The garden includes areas of lawn, well stocked mature beds and borders and a useful log store.

GARDEN AND GROUNDS
The idyllic grounds at Ballenmuir extend to over one and a half acres (including the house and cottage). Sheltered by mature woodland with an array of rhododendrons, mature shrubs and hedges, the garden is an idyll of calm and belies the property’s close proximity to the town centre. It includes areas of lawn, a former tennis court upon which several raised beds have been constructed, fruit cages, two greenhouses, a potting shed, a covered seating area and various useful log stores. Accessed through impressive stone pillars, there is ample parking for several vehicles provided on a gravelled driveway.

EPC Rating = F