A grand country house and 329-acre estate for sale at £1.89 million — and it's on the market for the first time in a quarter of a millennium
Arabella Youens takes a look at the beautiful Monreith House and Estate on the south-west coast of Scotland.
Monreith House and Estate, near the coastal village of Port William in Dumfries and Galloway, is a Category A-listed Georgian mansion. Set in 329 acres, it was built in the 1790s for the Maxwell family. Now, almost 250 years later, the Maxwells are moving on, and Monreith is now on the market, with offers sought over £1.89 million.
Having previously been based at Myrton Castle, the Maxwells of Monreith became one of the most important families in the area and notable members include Gavin Maxwell, the naturalist and author of Ring of Bright Water.
By the start of the millennium, the house had fallen into disrepair. In 2011, it was featured in Channel 4’s series Country House Rescue, during which the host, Ruth Watson, tried to help Sir Michael Maxwell address the financial challenges he faced. The property is being sold out of the family for the first time.
At the heart of the estate is the mansion house with 15 bedrooms, and definitely in need of a generational overhaul.
While work does need doing, this is a grand and impressive home, with huge windows, high ceilings and fascinating details to be uncovered. Take the billiards room as just one example, with its engraved bookshelving, bespoke cabinets and an original fireplace. Houses simply aren't built this way any more.
There is also far more on offer than the house itself, though: mature woodland, the White Loch of Myrton, several cottages and Kirkmaiden Church, set on the coastline.
Several of the cottages are available as separate lots, should you not wish to buy the entire £1.9m estate. This one, Kennels Cottage, sits White Loch of Myrton; offers over £340,000.
Selling agent Kay Paton of Savills says that it presents an opportunity for someone who has an interest in restoring the historic property, which includes gems such as tapestries that once hung in the castle that burned down and made way for the building of Monreith.
‘It will also appeal to someone who doesn’t mind living a quieter life off the beaten track in a beautiful, but often overlooked part of Scotland,’ she adds.
‘People don’t turn left often enough after they cross the border to discover it.’
Monreith is for sale via Savills for offers over £1.89 million — see more details.
