Dirleton, North Berwick, East Lothian Guide price £3,000,000

Historical Note:
Invereil House was commissioned by the British Amateur Golf Champion, John E Laidlay in the 1890’s. The position of Invereil overlooking the 8th fairway of the North Berwick Golf Course allowed Mr Laidlay to play almost daily on his favourite course. John Laidlay was brought up at Seacliffe House to the east of North Berwick which was destroyed by fire in 1907. The style of Invereil House was influenced by Seacliffe House and the Edinburgh architectural firm, Peddie and Washington Browne, who also designed the Caledonian Hotel on Princes Street. No expense was spared in the construction of the mansion house using the reddish, extremely durable, North Berwick Law Stone to create a baronial style mansion house which was completed in 1899.

Description:
Invereil House is approached by a private, tree-lined drive guarded by a Gate Lodge which winds between fields before reaching the gates to the property where it continues to a gravel sweep in front of the house. Invereil is an imposing, attractive, late Victorian B-listed, red stone mansion house surrounded by landscaped gardens partially enclosed by a stone wall. In keeping with its era, there are a number of period features such as a beautiful pitch pine staircase, detailed cornicing in the main reception rooms, original fireplaces, panelling, parquet flooring in the drawing room, mosaic tiles in the entrance vestibule and sash and case windows.

The principal reception rooms lie on the first floor and include an impressive drawing room in the west wing with triple aspect views across the garden and the golf course, a panelled sitting room with double aspect views enjoyed via a minstrel’s gallery and a balustraded balcony, a well-proportioned dining room with restored panelling, and a tranquil morning room with views across the gardens.

There is a good sized kitchen with a range cooker on the first floor with a useful second kitchen on the ground floor to cater for bigger, formal occasions. The billiard room on the ground floor has a large open fire, and nearly spans the width of the house providing a spacious room suitable for a number of uses. There are less formal reception rooms on the ground and first floor for use as a snug, study, or play rooms.

The main bedrooms are on the second floor and are well-proportioned with original fireplaces. The master bedroom suite overlooks the garden
and golf course. There are seven double bedrooms providing sumptuous accommodation for family and guests. The nursery room has hand painted walls depicting the story of Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli. There are additional bedrooms on the ground floor for staff or guests. As expected with a house of this nature, there are additional rooms which could be converted into a self contained apartment, if required.



Invereil House enjoys an enviable coastal location between North Berwick and Dirleton in East Lothian, with wonderful views across North
Berwick golf course to the Firth or Forth and Fife coastline.

Whilst enjoying a very private location, it has excellent transport links being within 2 miles of the train station at North Berwick, 10 miles from
the A1 trunk road and 33 miles from Edinburgh International airport.

The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is one of East Lothian’s most popular towns with its sandy beaches, an excellent selection of boutique shops, delis, restaurants and hotels. For schooling there is a primary and a high school in North Berwick or alternatively there is a wide selection of private schools in Dunbar, Haddington, Musselburgh and Edinburgh.

East Lothian is renowned for its top class golf courses including the championship courses at North Berwick. The village of Gullane, lying 3.5 miles to the west of Invereil House, is known as the centre of golf in East Lothian. It too has a bustling community served by an excellent
range of local shops, hotels, bars and restaurants. Between these two villages are the popular golf courses at Muirfield, Archerfield, Rennaissance and further afield at Dunbar.

Edinburgh city centre (24 miles) is readily accessible from Invereil House via the A1 dual carriageway and as the capital of Scotland, hosts a wide range of cultural, leisure, shopping and recreational facilities. Edinburgh Airport (33 miles) has a range of flights to a number of UK
and European destinations.

The east coast railway line can be accessed at North Berwick and offers regular services to Edinburgh. Direct trains to London stop
regularly at Dunbar providing fast access to the south.

Outbuildings:
There are several useful outbuildings including:

A studio and garden room
Boiler room
Double garage
Tree house
Garden sheds
2 greenhouses

Garden:
Invereil House lies in the middle of beautiful landscaped formal gardens. To the north it is enclosed by a stone boundary wall with doors leading directly out to the North Berwick golf course. Surrounding the house there are lawns flanked by formal herbaceous borders, an ornate lily pond, areas containing a plethora of spring flowers, mature trees including Monterey and Corsican pine, rhododendron bushes, an
orchard and beech hedges, all of which combine to create an imaginative formal garden.

To the west of the formal gardens is an area called Linkhouse Wood which contains mature trees including Scot’s pines, Eucalyptus and
Beech trees, a duck pond, a poly tunnel and a vegetable garden, a hen coup and kennels. This area previously had planning permission to build
an all-weather tennis court. This permission has now lapsed.