Property description

Orchardton Castle For Sale - Impressive Scots Baronial Mansion House/Castle Currently Residential But Could Be Used As Commercial or Semi Commercial. HOME REPORT AVAILABLE.

GetAnOffer.co.uk are offering this ATTRACTIVELY PRICED PROPERTY from a MOTIVATED seller to buyers that are in a position to purchase relatively quickly. This property has been PRICED to ENCOURAGE a QUICK SALE.

Get An Offer are pleased to offer this property for sale:

• Baronial Castle Set Over Approximately 5 Acres
• Approximately 45 Rooms, Could be Used for a Variety of Purposes
• Refurbished 5 Years Ago
• Stables and Paddock
• Full Central Heating & Private Water
• Sea and Hill Views
• Easy Access to Beach
• Gardens With Rare Plants and Palm Trees
• Off Road Parking for Several Vehicles Provided by a Private Driveway
• Requires Some Work to Central Heating
• HOME REPORT VALUE £2.5 MILLION

EARLY VIEWING IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED DUE TO THE PROPERTY BEING PRICED FOR A QUICK SALE.

*** FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: 01903 331 031 OR EMAIL: info@getanoffer.co.uk ***

Full Description Of Property:



Orchardton Castle is a fine example of a mansion house/castle built in the Scots Baronial style that was popular in the second half of the Victorian era.
The house is built of locally quarried granite with dressed sandstone margins and quoins. Amongst the numerous features of the exterior are advanced angled bays, crow-stepped (or 'corbie-stane') gables all of which are surmounted by a stone finial, corbelled turrets, a neo-Jacobean pilastered door piece over the front door featuring the initials of two generations of the Douglas family, and corbelled round turrets with conical slate roofs and spike finials.
The house occupies a commanding position amid the very attractive countryside of coastal Kirkcudbrightshire. The principal façade faces northwest towards Screel Hill and Ben Gairn, whilst the rear façade of the house looks southwest over pasture towards the sea at Auchencairn Bay and Hestan Island. Access to the house is via a gravel drive which leads for circa 1km from the A711 to terminate at a gravel sweep in front of the house.

Well-suited for use as a private home but with potential for conversion to commercial or semi-commercial use, the accommodation within the house is over four floors.
Features of the interior include extensive neo-Jacobean panelling in the halls and principal reception rooms; decorative carved timber, marble and stone chimneypieces in the reception rooms; open fireplaces with cast-iron grates and Flemish tiled surround in a number of the bedrooms; pitch pine carved balustrades in the main stairwell; decorative cornices, ceiling roses and strap work; original hardwood panelled doors; timber-framed sash and casement windows, large cast-iron bath tubs (some of which have been replaced/re-enamelled) and wine cellar with original bins.
Since purchasing the house in 2003, the current owners have undertaken a substantial programme of improvements in the conversion of the house as a private home providing bed and breakfast accommodation. This includes upgrading of the roof including replacement of slates and lead/zinc; installation of a new central heating system operating from twin oil-fired boilers; substantial re-wiring of the electrical system; installation of new bathroom fittings and extensive painting, plastering and re-carpeting throughout the house.
There is a bespoke contemporary fitted kitchen and two solid-fuel stoves.
With services including a private water supply (with UV filter), oil-fired central heating, mains electricity, private drainage, Broadband internet connection and satellite TV connection, the accommodation (which should be considered along with the floor plans provided) is on four floors as follows:
Ground Floor
Entrance Hall 7.5m x 5.47m
Reception Hall 7.57m x 4.90m
Central Hall 14.73m x 4.0m
Study 5.90m x 4.41m
Music Room 9.17m x 7.14m
Drawing Room 10.34m x 6.05m
Butler's Pantry 2.45m x 2.69m
Kitchen 9.45m x 4.92m
Sitting Room 6.04m x 4.82m
Sewing Room 4.20m x 3.05m
Cloakroom with WC
WC

Lower Ground Floor
Sitting Room 1 5.74m x 4.89m
Bathroom 10
Bedroom 16 4.41m x 3.35m
Sitting Room 2 6.33m x 4.89m
Bedroom 17 4.95m x 4.38m
Bathroom 11
Laundry 4.24m x 2.28m
Function Room 10.08m x 6.18m
Store Room 7.12m x 4.92m
Workshop 1 9.02 x 6.98m
Workshop 2 6.83 x 4.91m

First Floor
Master Bedroom 6.12m x 5.36m
Master Dressing Room 4.26m x 3.20m
Master Bathroom 4.46m x 2.44m
Bedroom 2 6.95m x 5.52m
En-suite bathroom 2 4.00m x 3.62m
Bedroom 3 4.32m x 4.42m
Bathroom 3
Library/Bedroom 4 7.30m x 5.50m
Home Cinema/Bedroom 5 7.73m x 4.94m
Bedroom 6 5.60m x 4.94m
Bedroom 7 6.07m x 4.48m
Bathroom 4
Bathroom 5
Walk-in linen cupboard

Second Floor
Bedroom 8/Studio 8.61m x 5.66m
Bedroom 9 5.15m x 4.92m
Bedroom 10 6.95m x 9.17m
Bathroom 6
Bathroom 7
Bedroom 11 4.39m x 3.65m
Bedroom 12 5.72m x 5.58m
Office/Bedroom 13 6.13m x 4.93m
Bedroom 14 6.31m x 4.93m
Bedroom 15 5.61m x 4.46m
Store Room 1 3.14m x 2.49m
Store Room 2 4.46m x 3.44m
Bathroom 8
Bathroom 9

It should be noted that there is an attic area above the second floor which includes a useful store room and a second room accommodating the cold water tank and with access to the roof.
Garden and Grounds
The gardens and grounds at Orchardton extend to about 5.4 acres in total and surround the house.
In front of the house is a large gravel sweep with lawn beyond and to the rear is a terraced garden with lawns, arboretum, policy woodlands and enclosed paddock beyond. A feature of the garden is the range of rhododendron and ornamental tree species which exist. This includes a palm tree which is indicative of the mild gulf-stream climate plus western red cedar, grand fir and Wellingtonia.
Another feature is the wildlife pond at the southeast corner of the garden. Part of the grounds is currently enclosed as a small paddock for livestock and ponies.
Beyond the grounds on the south side of the house is an area of open parkland and pasture. This is part of the neighbouring Gelston Estate but grazing for livestock and/or horses is available to the owners of Orchardton at a modest rent.
Outbuildings
In addition to the workshop and store within the house, the outbuildings include two stable buildings with sufficient looseboxes to accommodate several horses; a log store and sauna building which is operational.


Situation
Orchardton Hall is situated a short distance from the coast of the Solway Firth overlooking Orchardton Bay. Lying between the Solway coast on the south side and Screel Hill to the north, the house occupies an elevated position designed to maximise the glorious views to the north and to stand out amid the surrounding landscape.
The village of Auchencairn was established around a 17th century corn mill. Literally translated from Gaelic as 'field of the cairn', the village is an attractive traditional village which is popular with tourists and overlooks the most attractive Auchencairn Bay. The village has a local shop, post office and hotel with public house.
Dalbeattie (5 miles) is a small town in the Urr Water valley which is famed for its quarrying of granite and serves the Solway coast and its hinterland. The town has a range of small shops, plus other services and facilities including a public library, General Practitioners' surgery and sports centre.
Castle Douglas (8 miles) is a busy market town which serves the whole of the district known as the Stewarty and hosts the annual Stewarty Agricultural show in August. The town has a bustling High Street with a range of shops, cafes and professional services. In addition, there is a modern supermarket.
The administrative heart of the region is Dumfries (19 miles) which is a 25-minute drive. The services and facilities available here include a railway station with regular services to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Carlisle, supermarkets, a retail park and wide ranging cultural and leisure facilities, and professional services. Access to the national motorway network is located 20 miles to the northeast of Dumfries at junction 15 of the M74.
Kirkcudbrightshire is one of Scotland's most beautiful counties incorporating a landscape that ranges from the open moorland of the southern upland hills to the bays, inlets and sandy beaches of the Solway coast. It is a distinctly rural county which has been relatively unscathed by modern development and where the industries of agriculture and tourism thrive and form the backbone of local employment.
Alternatively known as the Scottish Riviera on account of its mild Gulf Stream climate and picturesque coastline, the area is popular with summer tourists from throughout the UK and particularly those looking to escape the more populated parts of England and the central belt of Scotland.
The villages of Kippford and Rockcliffe are particularly popular but others include Southerness, Sandyhills, Auchencairn and Portling.
In addition to sailing and other water sports, the county is renowned for the quality and contrast of its golf courses. The best known of these is the links course at Southerness which is listed amongst the top 100 courses in the British Isles and is within 30 minutes' drive of Orchardton Hall. In addition, there are courses to suit all levels of ability at Sandy Hills, Dalbeattie, Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright, each of which is easily accessible.
The county is particularly renowned for the quality of its field sports. The rivers Urr and Dee are within a few miles of Orchardton Hall. Both rivers have a run of salmon and sea-trout and fishing by day ticket is available. The more famous salmon rivers of the Nith and Annan are within an hour's drive with fishing available by day ticket. For trout fisherman, there is a range of rivers and still waters offering brown, rainbow and sea-trout fishing.
Game shooting of top quality is a feature of the area with a number of estates in the locale offering driven and walked-up pheasant, partridge and woodcock shooting. The Solway Firth is also famous for its wildfowling which is available locally to Orchardton Hall.
Equestrian activities are a feature of the area with an active pony club, a recently established Hunt and, in addition to those at Orchardton Hall, various livery facilities available locally. Hacking on the sands of the Solway Firth and trekking within the extensive local Forestry Commission woodlands are particularly popular.
For those with historical interests, there is a plethora of sites across the county relating to various prominent periods and people of Scottish History. This includes the 17th century Covenanters and their clandestine hideouts, the Cistercian Sweetheart Abbey at New Abbey and home of Robert Burns in Dumfries.
Historical Note
Orchardton House was built in about 1761 by Robert Maxwell. He married a McLellan of Kirkcudbright Castle and it is alleged that the roof timbers from the castle were used in the construction of the new mansion at Orchardton. In 1785, the estate came into the possession of James Douglas, brother of William, founder of Castle Douglas. The house was substantially embellished and remodelled in 1881 by Mr Robinson Douglas. The exterior of the house has been little altered since.
The estate of Orchardton passed out of the Douglas family and, over the course of time, it was broken up.
The house itself was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence during the Second World War for the convalescence of wounded officers. Subsequently the house has been run as a hotel, school and base for artists before being purchased and converted as a private home with bed and breakfast facilities by the current owner in 2003.



Please Note:

All details and measurements have been given for guidance purposes only. Due to the nature of our business our details are usually produced by a third party so any information supplied should be checked by yourself for any inaccuracies.

Although this property may have the facility of heating and other appliances they have not been tested at the time of our instructions.

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