The style and grandeur of an exquisite B-listed Georgian house on the beautiful island of Skye has been generating a lot of interest.
Lyndale House, sitting on the north-western shores of the island – and overlooking the gorgeous sea loch of Loch Snizort – is being offered for sale along with two successful holiday cottages at offers over £900,000.
Believed to date back to around 1740, Lyndale has an interesting history. Situated within land owned by the Clan Macleod, it was sold in the mid-19th century to Alexander MacDonald, an engineer from Glasgow who made many additions to the house and cottages. In 1900, after a period of decline, the house was bought and generally brought back to life by the second Lord Napier of Magdala who, in 1885, had married Eva, daughter of Lord MacDonald of the Isles.
It remained with his descendants until the 1970s until it was bought by a MacLeod who still farms the surrounding land. The almost ruined house, cottages and woodlands were sold off from the farmland in 1995 to the current owners who then embarked on a painstaking but loving restoration, returning Lyndale to near its original 18th century style while creating two wonderful and very comfortable holiday cottages from the former laundry and stables.
Hidden from public view by mature woodland, this is an impressive family home built over three floors and set in lovely policies with a range of features including a three-acre paddock.
On the ground floor the accommodation is approached through a porch into a reception hall with a Caithness flag floor and a sweeping staircase to the first floor. The principal reception rooms are at the front of the house and overlook the garden with sea views.
The study has fitted bookshelves on two walls and a fireplace with a wood-burning stove, while the drawing room – which is perfect for entertaining – has an open fireplace and doors which lead to the rear service corridor and into the dining room.
The focal point of the ground floor accommodation is the homely kitchen – complete with a four-oven oil-fired Aga, a double Belfast sink and handcrafted units using wood from the estate.
The kitchen also leads into a comfortable family room and the conservatory, while the ground floor is also home to a rear hall, boot room and laundry room. Also accessed from the kitchen is a large walk-in larder with extensive fitted shelving and a cloakroom completes
the ground floor accommodation.
On the first floor there is a comfortable master bedroom suite, complete with a generous dressing room with built-in wardrobes and an en-suite bathroom with a claw-foot roll-top bath and a separate shower cubicle.
On the other side of the landing there is a guest bedroom which – like the master – has wonderful sea views and an en-suite wet room. The second floor accommodation includes two double bedrooms, a twin bedroom, a sitting/play room and a bathroom with separate shower cubicle.
The two holiday cottages, The Stables and The Laundry, are surrounded by mature trees and lie in a quiet spot below the main house with separate access off the main drive. They have been run as a successful high-quality self-catering business, with listings in Vernon’s 100 Best Self-Catering in Scotland guide.
Both cottages have wood-burning stoves and have well designed, comfortable interiors. Generally fully booked between April and November each year, weekly rates vary from £600 to £750.
John Bound, partner in CKD Galbraith’s Inverness office which is handling the sale, said of the exceptional property: “The attention that the owners have given to the property since acquiring Lyndale in the mid-1990s is evident in abundance and whoever acquires the house and the accompanying cottages will benefit from owning both a lovely family home with some useful income from the holiday cottages.
“In restoring Lyndale to its original 18th century charm, the owners have still managed to create a home that is manageable for everyday family living and entertaining. When accompanied by the views towards the Outer Hebrides – with many stunning sunsets to be enjoyed from both the house and grounds over the sea – it is easy to understand why we expect to generate interest in this wonderful property.”
Contact: CKD Galbraith on 01463 224343.