As with the proverbial London bus, it can be a long wait before a Robert Adam house comes along, then, amazingly, two come along at once.
Just the other day a home called Newliston came to the market, and now another is for sale: the exquisite, Category A-listed Letterfourie at Drybridge in Moray. It's Adam’s most northerly house, the first built by him in Scotland on returning from his Grand Tour, and (like Newliston) the £2.95m sale is being handled by Evelyn Channing of Savills.
Mrs Channing recalls that its American owners, one of whom is an architectural historian, couldn’t believe that they could actually buy an Adam house, which they did in 2014, since when they have lovingly restored and refurbished it.
The attention to detail that they've put in speaks for itself, as you'll see from the pictures here.
She seeks ‘offers over £2.95m’ for Letterfourie, one of Moray’s largest Georgian houses set at the heart of a secluded, 308-acre estate, three miles from the magnificent Moray Firth coastline.
It was built as a home for two bachelor brothers of the Gordon clan on their return to Scotland from Madeira, where John Gordon, the fifth laird, and his brother Alexander, became successful wine merchants, both being staunch Jacobites who were forced to flee after the Battle of Culloden.
In 1772, James Gordon, the 6th laird of the clan, commissioned Adam to design Letterfourie House, the original drawings for which are held at the Adam archive at Sir John Soane’s Museum in London. Built of pinkish granite, it features a central block with two wings forming a U-plan court and was completed the following year.
The brothers being devout Roman Catholics, the house included a private chapel in the west wing with accommodation for a priest.
Today, it offers 15,412sq ft of supremely comfortable accommodation on four floors, including four principal reception rooms, 11 bedrooms and five bathrooms, with the boiler room, wine cellars, workshop and stores on the lower-ground floor.
Wonderful landscaped gardens provide a breathtaking setting for the house, with the restored 19th-century Letterfourie fountains a focal point. More than a million bulbs have been planted in recent years and the grounds come alive in spring with snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells.
The land, comprising 167 acres of arable or pasture land and 139 acres of woodland and rough grazing, is currently farmed under contract by a local farmer.
-
Levison Wood: Trekking the Nile, near-death experiences and why nothing beats a cup of tea and a piece of toastThe adventurer, explorer, writer and film-maker Levison Wood joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
-
Country Life 30 July 2025Country Life July 30, 2025, spots orcas around Britain, looks at Brambly Hedge and celebrates Revd W/V/ Awdry, the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine.
-
The country house with ‘incredible and unrivalled views’ where De Gaulle met Churchill in the Second World WarWinterdyne isn’t just a country house — it’s a country house that served as the base of the Free French under Charles de Gaulle during the war. Now, it’s looking for a new owner; Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
An achingly traditional country house on the outside... and a wonderful Bohemian surprise withinBayford House is a classic Georgian home that opens up to reveal a house full of playful design and striking touches. Annabel Dixon takes a look around.
-
An ancient manor where a millennium of history and a medieval moat meet a swimming pool and party barnA medieval manor that was birthplace of one of Henry V's generals, Hempnalls Hall blends fascinating history, enormous character and 21st century comfort.
-
One of Scotland's last untouched private islands, with a 'cave house' of your own and dolphins for neighboursInsh Island, off Scotland’s west coast, has no buildings except a ‘cave house’, zero light pollution and even fewer inhabitants. It is on the market with Savills.
-
The catch-22 holding back the property market in Britain — and the clever idea that could take the handbrake offThere's a growing swell of opinion that a Stamp Duty tax break for downsizers could unblock the impasse in the property market. Annabel Dixon explains.
-
Inside the Cotswolds farmhouse that's had 'a restoration of rare artistry and scale', now being sold by Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de RossiEllen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi swapped California for a Cotswolds farmhouse just a year ago, and are already on the move — meaning that their Oxfordshire home, Kitesbridge Farm, is on the market.
-
A rare glimpse into a wonderful country home being sold off-market, set in a picture-perfect village and with a vast natural swimming poolIt's rare that we get permission to write about houses being sold off-market — but we have just that with a house called White's, in one of Kent's most beautiful villages.
-
A cosy cottage in Durham where Oliver Cromwell drank mead and dreamt of glorious uprising is for saleBlagraves in Barnard Castle, Co Durham, is a dreamy home by the River Tees which is the second oldest building in the town.
