A country house for sale for the very first time that's a blank canvas for a new owner to move in
Whitehill has been in the same hands ever since it was built at the turn of the 20th century — yet from its immaculate presentation inside you could be forgiven for thinking it was a new-build. Penny Churchill tells more.


For sale for the first time in its history — at a guide price of £1m through Galbraith in Kelso — is the imposing country house of Whitehill, at Mellerstain in the Scottish Borders.
It was built in the 1900s as part of the Earl of Haddington’s historic Mellerstain estate — Mellerstain House, one of Scotland’s great buildings, is nearby.
While it's a century old, Whitehill doesn't look it: the house was refurbished six years ago, and is now a light and spacious house that offers generous family accommodation, including three reception rooms.
Among these spaces is a drawing room so large that you could be forgiven for thinking it's a small ballroom, with the curved bay window adding real grace and charm.
There are two kitchens — a trend we've noticed more and more of late — as well as separate utility room and pantry, accessed from one of the three hallway areas.
There are six bedrooms in total, and while only one is en-suite bathroom — a master which also has a separate dressing room — there are four bathrooms, so you're unlikely to find yourself queuing outside a door in the mornings, towel in hand.
In addition one of the bedrooms has the same curved bay window which mirrors the one in the dining room below.
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The grounds are lovely. There is a large, landscaped garden with a stone sundial, mature woodland to the north of the house and a paddock.
As well as the main house, the property also includes a separate three-bedroom cottage with its own garden, and also outbuildings with potential for conversion — subject to all the relevant permissions — for residential use.
The village of Gordon is the nearest settlement of any size, but Kelso isn't far away — nor is Edinburgh, for that matter, with the A697 and A68 within relatively easy reach. There's also the railway station of Tweedbank offering a rail link to the Scottish capital that takes under an hour.
Whitehill is for sale via Galbraith at £1m — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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