Tucked away in a quiet Inverness street is a fairytale house packed to the rafters with style, writes Susan Welsh
Millwood House is without doubt one of the finest homes in Inverness.
Everything, from automatic electric gates that open the way to a beautiful cobblestone driveway to its distinctive turret with romantic balcony, let you know this is a high-quality, stylish house.
Its look draws on Gothic design and it sits within large, sprawling grounds in a historic and established part of the Highland capital, but it’s very much a 21st-century home, and a relatively new one at that.
It belongs to Iain and Fiona MacGregor, who share their beautiful home with their children, Harrison, 4, and Amalie, 1, and the family’s pet dog.
This is the second home called Millwood House to be built at 36 Old Mill Road.
Iain, 32, who is CEO at Global Energy, said: “The original Millwood House was a bungalow that had been greatly extended and the internal layout altered to such an extent that you couldn’t get a mortgage on the house.
“We would have been unable to make any further changes to the house so opted instead to demolish it and build a new house on the site.
“It was the size of the garden that sold us on the house as it was three plots all in one, so we felt it made more sense to build a grander house in it, which was the motivation behind it.
“We had a good idea of the style we wanted – a big country house in the city with Gothic features, a turret and a big, open hallway, so discussed these with Reynolds Architecture of Dingwall, who interpreted what we wanted and came up with the design.
“We wanted it to feel like it wasn’t a new build.”
Fiona, a former primary school teacher, said: “I always had an idea in my head, from the time I was a young girl, that one day I’d like to live in a romantic, fairytale-style house but I also wanted a garden that was full of interest, with lots of nooks and crannies and secret, secluded places.
“The garden was very mature and really big, which is very unusual as it is just five minutes’ walk away from the city centre.
“At the time of buying, we had no children and loved the idea of living in the country, but in reality, I wanted to be in the city and have easy access to all the amenities it has to offer.”
Iain said: “What Fiona really wanted was to live in a castle.”
Like a knight in shining armour, gallant Iain pulled out all the stops to ensure his new bride’s dream came true and, two years after viewing the original house, they moved into their dream pad.
The end result is a spectacular house that any damsel would love.
Priced at offers over £795,000, first impressions are wonderful.
Step under the archway entrance and you find yourself in a grand foyer with a magnificent bespoke oak staircase and an abundance of natural light flooding through the double-height, remote-controlled ceiling windows and the four Gothic-style arch windows at ground level.
Further features include hardwood oak flooring, nicely bordered by Italian Travertine floor tiles, oak doors and exposed beams.
This is a fantastic place to entertain and there is ample space for a large dining room and chairs, as well as an under-stair storage area – a wonderful space for entertaining.
Accommodation on this floor includes a fully equipped utility room with store, a guest bedroom and shower room to the rear and a further playroom/games room.
The family room is open plan with the kitchen. Focal points include a stone-clad fireplace with inset multi-fuel stove and exposed roof beams.
The dining kitchen is fitted with an Aga and Ashley Ann designer wall and base storage units, which come with integrated Neff appliances and Travertine flooring.
From here, doors lead to the gardens and a there is further door to the covered walkway and access to the garage.
The large sitting room includes a circular, turreted window with subtle lighting adding to the ambiance and relaxing atmosphere and there is a fully fitted and professionally installed home office with desk, shelving and bookcase.
Moving upstairs, the master bedroom is the last word in luxury. It has its own private balcony within the turret, which enjoys lovely views over the gardens and has ample space for a table and chairs.
The bedroom comes with a walk-in dressing room and luxurious en suite with walk-in shower, led lighting, his and hers circular bowls, free-standing bath, WC and heated towel rail.
There are two further double bedrooms.
The house sits in about 0.55 acres bounded by mature trees, plants and shrubs and is extremely private. Features of note here include a raised decked terrace, fire pit and outside lighting.
A detached double garage, easily accessed from a covered walkway from the house, has steps leading up to a fully equipped gymnasium.
“What I love about the house is that, while it has all mod cons, it doesn’t feel like a brand-new home as it has plenty of character thanks to things like the wooden beams and arched windows.
“We have two young children and a dog and it’s a great home for bringing up a family as it’s warm and cosy, and a very sociable house, with a great, child-friendly garden.”
The couple clearly love their dream home, which raises the question: why are they selling?
“Before we had children, I said there’s no way I’d live in the country, but now they are here we want to move to the countryside,” said Fiona.
“If I could pick up this house and drop it somewhere else, I’d do it.”
Millwood House is within the popular Crown area of Inverness and is only a short distance from the city centre and its many amenities, including restaurants, cafes, shops, nightclubs and Eden Court Theatre.
Contact: Strutt and Parker on 01463 719171.