Owning your own swimming pool is a luxury fantasy for many but it’s within affordable reach at one Highland home, writes Susan Welsh
It was the second day of June when we visited Tony Holden’s house in North Kessock and for the third successive day, the Highlands were bathed in sunshine.
I thought it was warm until I stepped into the ‘star attraction’ at Tony’s house – a huge heated conservatory which contains a large, luxurious swimming pool.
The atmosphere was totally tropical.
A quick look at the thermometer on the wall showed it was just under 90degrees and so hot and humid that it was playing tricks with our photographer’s camera equipment.
The light and spacious pool room, which is built on higher ground overlooking the beautiful gardens surrounding Birchill Lodge, is the sort of place that once inside, makes it very hard to leave again.
Even on dull days it’s warm in here as is the pool which is generally heated to around 88 degrees via an oil-fired system.
It doesn’t take much imagination to think about how much fun it would be to host your very own pool party here, while for most families, it would be a dream addition to any home.
The luxury addition to the house, which enjoys great views across the Firth towards the hills surrounding Inverness, came about via a rather unusual route – a double dual carriageway to be precise.
Tony, 88, said: “I bought land and had the house built in 1967, long before there was any talk of there being a bridge built between Inverness and the Black Isle.
“Eventually plans got underway to construct the Kessock Bridge and build a main road leading to it, part of which would cut across my garden which slopes down towards the road.
“In order to build the road they bought part of my garden and with the compensation I got for that I built the swimming pool, which cost more to build than the original house!
“It was a bit of a steep slope behind the house so the land was cleared, flattened and the pool dug. The conservatory covering it was added a few years later.”
Having spent much of his life in London and Nottinghamshire, Tony always had a desire to own a home in Scotland.
“Much of my childhood holidays were spent in Nairn and Troon and I always thought it would be a marvellous place to live,” he said.
With a career in the Army behind him he set about working for various companies in the food industry before the chance to set up his own firm, Holden Du Cros Ltd arose.
“Through various circumstances I’d become friends with the Slaughter family from Grantown who specialised in game.
“In those days hardly anybody wanted to eat deer but we discovered a big market for venison in Germany so became one of the first firms to export Scottish venison.”
The firm was also at the forefront of those dealing with frozen rather than canned salmon, and salmon smoking.
“It was because of the business, and because I’d made so many friends here, that I felt I should have a second home here, but after retiring, moved here full-time,” said Tony.
The house, which is on the market at offers over £335,000, is pretty much as it was when Tony first moved in, which is how he likes it, but he says he’s in no doubt that any new buyer would want to modernise it and put their own stamp on it.
The accommodation is spread over two floors and begins with an good-sized entrance hall.
A door to the left leads to an L-shaped lounge and dining room with an open fireplace. From the dining end there’s access to the kitchen which would require modernisation.
From here, there’s a handy rear porch which leads to the gardens.
At the other end of the house there’s another large sitting room which opens into a good-sized conservatory overlooking the garden.
This floor also has a double bedroom, utility room and shower room, the layout of which means it could be used as self-contained accommodation.
Upstairs there is a large master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, two further double bedrooms and a cloakroom.
Outside, the house sits in grounds extending to around 1.21 acres and these are packed with a fabulous collection of notable specimen trees, shrubs and flowers which provide year-round interest and colour.
The garden is also a haven for red squirrels, pine martens and deer, all of which are seen regularly from the house.
There’s also a car port, several sheds and the heated conservatory housing the pool which measures around 25ft by 12ft and has a depth of eight feet at the deep end.
The pool area has seating around the edge and the building is plumbed for use as a hydroponicum making it the perfect place to grow a variety of fresh herbs, vegetables and soft fruits.
While close to the A9, once inside Birchill Lodge, the noise from the traffic can hardly be heard and its location means it’s ideal for those who wish to commute to Inverness.
It sits at the end of a long, private driveway, accessed from the Kilmuir and Drusmittal road, but it takes just a few minutes to reach the Kessock Bridge.
“After nearly 50 years I’ve decided to sell up before I lose my marbles,” joked Tony.
“I intend to move back to London but as I’ve made so many friendships here will be a regular visitor spending lots of time in and around Inverness.”
Contact: CKD Galbraith on 01463 224343.
