A beautiful old farmhouse in 15 acres of breathtaking Scottish scenery, for sale at just £825,000
A wonderful country home with almost 15 acres of land has come up for sale at a price which will make urban dwellers question their life choices.
Toby Keel
Here at Country Life, we try not to harp on too much about the huge discrepancy in house prices across Britain. Do you really need to know that your house would only cost half as much if it was located 350 miles away? After all, not many of us can move our jobs, families, friends and entire lives half-way across the country for the sake of a couple of extra bedrooms, or a paddock. No matter how much we'd like to.
Every so often, though, a property comes along offering so much, for so reasonable a price, that it's impossible not to shake your head in wonder at what life would be like if you swapped your two-bedroom maisonette in Sydenham for something a little further afield. And today is one of those days, because Billerwell Farm House is on the market via Knight Frank at £825,000, and it really does seem to have it all.
The house is in the Scottish borders, a little south from Melrose near the historic town of Hawick (pronounced 'hoik', rather than 'horr-wick'; you'll need to know that if you put in an offer). Set in 14½ acres and with extensive outbuildings, the house is surrounded by what agent Edward Douglas-Home describes as ‘breathtaking Borders scenery’, comprising its own land, The Rule Water (a tributary of the River Teviot) and neighbouring farmland.
It's not just about the splendid lication, though, as Douglas Home adds: ‘The current owners have created a warm and welcoming home with well-balanced accommodation full of natural light and period character.’ The pictures here bear witness to just that: a simple, charming and homely place to live with a huge amount of space on offer.
At the heart of the house is a large, open-plan kitchen and garden room; a drawing room and dining room provide more formal entertaining space. Upstairs are five bedrooms, four of which have en-suite bath or shower rooms.
The owners have made significant improvements, including establishing good broadband connectivity. There is plenty of scope for the imagination outside, with a range of traditional stone barns and outbuildings that could be converted into all manner of uses, subject to the necessary planning consents.
The house sale also includes a section of fishing along The Rule Water. ‘It’s rare to find a house of such historical richness that remains so evidently liveable,’ adds Mr Douglas-Home. And all for the price of a maisonette in Sydenham.
Billerwell farm is for sale via Knight Frank — see more details.
