Latest news with #Strutt&Parker
Press and Journal
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Press and Journal
Six-bedroom Aviemore cottage with stunning views of the Cairngorms hits the market
A modern six-bedroom home in the 'ski capital' of Scotland has been listed for sale. The property known as Summer Cottage is outside Aviemore and is the perfect retreat for avid winter sports enthusiasts due to its proximity to the Cairngorms. Its modern exterior blends white walls with dark grey Scandi-style cladding, while inside has many home comforts. Summer Cottage is listed with Strutt & Parker for £700,000. Entering via the covered porch, on the ground floor to the left is a study, while to the right is the living room. The room features inset wall arches which flank and an exposed brick fireplace with wood-burning stove. There are also French doors out to a raised decking area, which is partially sheltered due to the cottage's roof overhang. Also off the hallway is a guest toilet and a ground floor double bedroom with en suite bathroom. At the rear is the kitchen/dining room, with space for a dining table as well as bar seating, and an impressive range. The kitchen also features wood cabinets and sturdy worktops. There is also a small utility room off the kitchen. To the rear is a bright conservatory, with a south-facing aspect. Upstairs are four good-sized bedrooms — one with an en suite bathroom and two with an en suite shower room. There is also a family bathroom with a shower. Also on the first floor, to the rear of the house is the master bedroom, which has an en suite shower room. Summer Cottage also has a large garage at the side connected, to the main house by a covered walkway. The front garden is lined by white picket fencing, with the entrance opening onto the driveway with space for cars. The cottage's rear garden is mostly lawn, lined with mature trees. Summer Cottage benefits from a great location near Aviemore, with easy access to activities, shops and the station.
Press and Journal
26-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Jobs lost as luxury Highland spa retreat enters liquidation
A luxury spa retreat near Fort William has gone into liquidation, forced to close due to mounting cost pressures. The closure of Ardrhu House Ltd has resulted in the loss of four jobs. The company cited the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit, staffing shortages, and rising costs – including higher National Insurance contributions – as key factors behind the closure. Despite efforts to save the business, directors had no choice but to call in the liquidators. Ardrhu House Ltd, which operated the high-end spa and guesthouse at Ardrhu House in Inverness-shire, ceased trading in March. Allan Cadman and Charles Brook of Xeinadin Corporate Recovery have been appointed to wind up the company. Although the retreat attracted strong visitor demand and positive reviews, the business could not return to financial sustainability. Mr Cadman said: 'The impact of the pandemic and then staffing issues and Brexit meant that Ardrhu House Ltd was never able to fully recover and improve their financial position. 'We explored every option with the business, but there was no choice for it but to enter a liquidation.' It is understood that the closure relates solely to the operating company, and not the property itself. Ardrhu House, which remains separate from the business, is now on the market for £1.5 million. Listed with Strutt & Parker, the striking lochside manor is a 165-year-old Scottish baronial manor set in 4.7 acres of landscaped grounds overlooking Loch Linnhe, just 10 miles from Fort William. Arranged as a boutique hotel and wedding venue, it features five reception rooms, eight bedrooms, original period features including turrets, and modern spa facilities. The spa area includes a sauna, steam room, hot tub, and treatment areas. These previously served both overnight guests and bridal parties. The grounds include direct loch access, three glazed garden pods, and a detached garage with laundry building. The property is being marketed as a rare opportunity for those seeking a residential retreat, hospitality venture, or wedding venue in a sought-after part of the west Highlands. Customers of Ardrhu House Ltd with outstanding bookings made via third-party platforms are advised to check refunds through those services or their credit card providers. Other creditors may contact the liquidators directly, though returns are unlikely at this stage. The closure adds to a growing list of hospitality businesses across the Highlands facing challenges due to rising costs and an ongoing shortage of staff.
Daily Record
28-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
'Haunted' Scottish castle for sale with £1.5million slashed off price
A Scottish castle believed to be haunted by a ghost has just hit the market. The unusual property is on sale for £5million, with a whopping £1.5million slashed off the price Carbisdale Castle near Ardgay in Sutherland is now being offered at £3.5million. It is on sale amid an ongoing dispute between the owner and the local council. The property is being marketed by Strutt & Parker as "one of the Highlands' most iconic castles, occupying the most prominent position of any building in Scotland". It follows owner Samantha Kane's decision to pull the plug on a proposed transfer of the castle to a community interest company. Kane, a London barrister, had planned to hand over the property. However, she has since reversed the decision as a result of alleged discrimination. She commented: "I have now halted that and decided to put the castle back on the market as a direct result of the discrimination I have suffered. Obviously the big loser is the community but the hatred and discrimination I have endured is too much." Ms Kane, 65, purchased the castle in 2022 for £1.2million. She has since undertaken "vast" restoration work to key parts of the property. According to selling agents, improvements have been made "to suit 21st century living and the potential development of a spa and swimming pool". A major factor in the listing of the castle has been an ongoing dispute within Ardgay and District Community Council (A&DCC). The conflict is said to have escalated in recent weeks. The group, of which Kane is a member, has called an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to dissolve the council. It cited concerns about the castle owner's conduct at meetings. Chair Les Waugh accused Kane of behaving "like a football hooligan", with the community council writing in a statement: 'Following six months of very difficult meeting and very difficult operating conditions in between meetings, the chair and the vice chair took the view that the intimidation of members of the public at the meeting on April 17 made the continuation of A&DCC, in its current form, untenable." Ms Kane has strongly denied the allegations, stating: "Allegations about my alleged behaviour are entirely untrue—totally false. If anything it is the other way around and I have evidence to support that. I am considering claiming damages from the community council or individual members for the harm they have caused me." One described as "Britain's poshest youth hostel", the 19-bedroom Carbisdale Castle is known for the ghost dressed in white named Betty that is set to haunt its 29-acre grounds. People who have stayed in the hostel have even named one of its top-floor bedrooms the 'spook room'. Built in the early 1900s, Carbisdale became known as the Castle of Spite due to its original resident's bitter dispute with her husband's family. Mary Caroline, Duchess of Sutherland, was the second wife of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland. However, the marriage was not approved by the Duke's family. Following his death, the Duchess' inheritance was contested by her stepson. acEventually, a financial settlement was reached and the family agreed to build the Duchess a new castle. However, it was required that the castle be constructed outside the Sutherland Estate boundary. In response, the Duchess built her home on the most prominent hillside site just outside the estate. The new property overlooked her former family's land and railway line, and it is widely believed the she located the castle to spite her husband's family and the settlement agreement.
The Guardian
04-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Edwardian homes for sale in England and Scotland
Covering 261 sq metres (2,810 sq ft), this townhouse is to the south of Banbury and is on an A road leading towards the M40. Restored to cherish the period features, the five-bedroom home has high ceilings, with a lattice design in the dining room. There are stained-glass windows in this room and the hallway, plus alcoves and a bay window in the living room. In the kitchen there are half-arch ecclesiastical-style windows. On the ground floor is a utility room, a cloakroom and steps down into the cellar. Each bedroom has an en suite. £775,000, Strutt & Parker, 01295 672094 Photograph: Strutt & Parker In a harbour town 16 miles to the south of Aberdeen is a vast six-bedroom home next to the Fetteresso parish church. The horseshoe-shaped drive announces the wide facade, with prominent bay windows in white and green. There is parquet flooring in the entrance hall and a wood-turned staircase. This room also has a log burner and a reading area. The gardens consist of an ornamental lawn, pear and apple trees and soft fruit bushes, as well as two log cabins – one previously had plumbing for a hot tub – all contained within a stone wall. £785,000, Savills, 01224 971122 Photograph: Savills On a residential road between Acton and Shepherd's Bush, is this terraced house with a red and black tiled pathway that leads to the arched entrance. The property is split into two apartments. The first-floor two-bedroom property is for sale and has a bright, south-west facing sitting room is at the front. External stairs lead down from the kitchen at the back to a private, paved garden. Renovated by the current owners, it retains much of its Edwardian character. Chiswick High Road is a 15-minute walk. £675,000, Inigo, 020 3687 3071 Photograph: Inigo In the centre of town is a detached home that has been occupied by the same family on and off since the early 20th century. The owner's grandparents lived at the property from 1918 to 1944, then sold it. The vendor's parents bought it 44 years later. The Edwardian design embellishments include sideboards, door architraves with rosette emblems and stained-glass panels on the front door. Downstairs, all the internal doors are four-panelled – typical of the era. Covering more than 0.1 hectares (0.3 acres), the plot has a double garage. £850,000, Knight Frank, 01789 206950 Photograph: Knight Frank A few minutes' walk to the east of the city centre, with the green space of Belmont Park, Clifton Hill golf driving range and a couple of cinemas on the doorstep, is this Edwardian townhouse. It is arranged over three levels, and the ground floor has been used in the past as a self-contained unit. There are five bedrooms, two kitchens, two bathrooms, a courtyard garden and a double garage. It could work for multigenerational living or as a big family house, but it is in need of modernisation – there's even carpet in one of the kitchens. £650,000, Wilkinson Grant & Co, 01392 427500 Photograph: Wilkinson Grant & Co
Telegraph
19-03-2025
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
Forever homes: designing a space for generations with key ingredients
Bringing up a family in London has so many advantages, from the enriching cultural experiences and excellent educational opportunities to a dizzying variety of art and sports access and lots of vibrant family-friendly communities. With more buyers wanting to lay down roots and avoid having to move again, the challenge is finding the right house – that is, one which can bend and flex as the family grows, in the right area and near good schools. According to Will Watson, head of The Buying Solution, the independent buying arm of Knight Frank, the family house should ideally have five bedrooms above ground level which are all ensuites. But it's the garden-level floor which sells a home. 'The large eat-in family kitchen and living room is always the most vital space in the house. It should be on one level so that it spills out into the garden for entertaining.' Charlotte Mantle, associate director at Strutt & Parker, adds that the best family houses are more than 2,000 sq ft in size, have children's bedrooms of equal dimension 'to avoid inevitable disagreements', boast lots of in-built storage and are located close to public transport, so that the children can easily access school, clubs and see friends when they reach the right age. Not everyone is buying their home at the same stage in the parenting cycle, so this will impact the perspective. 'A young couple with small children may prioritise proximity to good schools, safe play areas, and a functional layout that keeps living and sleeping spaces close together,' says Fredrick Drake of Hamptons in Notting Hill and Kensington. Those with teenagers seek more privacy. Here, a second living space for reading, watching TV and listening to music is ideal, adds architect Gregory Phillips. Unless the house overlooks a large green space, such as Victoria Park or Ealing Common, gardens are non-negotiable. Rather than south-facing aspects, it's gardens with scope for a home office that are in demand, says Stewart Harrison of John D. Wood & Co in Wandsworth. Garden designer Joanna Archer lists fire pits, a dedicated garden office and home gyms as frequent requests, plus 'the timeless charm of real lawn underfoot'. In terms of extras that make a family house stand out from the crowd, it's having a room with multiple potential uses, says Matthew Henderson of residential research at Strutt & Parker. A third of respondents with families in the estate agency's latest Housing Futures survey said these are a priority. 'Spaces can adapt as the family grows – they can be a playroom one year and a home office the next.' A nanny room is considered nice to have, although most of Watson's clients will prioritise a guest annexe at the end of the garden. This set-up comes into its own as children grow and crave more independence, adds George Jackson- Stops, of Strutt & Parker in Fulham. At least three bathrooms help ease morning routine friction, recommends Drake. There's a gravitational pull towards what Guy Meacock of Prime Purchase, the buying agency of Savills, calls 'urban villages' from clients with young families. The pandemic reminded everyone about the importance of living within a community, he adds, and these areas which were once villages in their own right often boast a 'beating heart' emanating from the high street. South-west London has long been a preferred choice for family buyers and Fulham, Wandsworth, Barnes, Richmond and Wimbledon are more popular than ever, agrees Watson. Other areas on the map beyond this south-west corridor include Ealing, Queen's Park, Highgate and Stoke Newington. Moving beyond the necessities to the nice-to-haves, there's a clear trend for principal bedrooms with dressing rooms as well as bathrooms; Phillips adds these are now almost always requested by clients seeking out a sanctuary to step away from the busy juggle of working and parenting. Clapham-based interior design studio Otta Design adds that one of their tricks to streamline the running of family houses is to position the utility area upstairs – where the washing is generated. 'Breakaway study areas that can be used by all members of the family are also popular,' says co-founder Ali Johnson. Sam Sproston of UK Sotheby's International Realty says wine tasting rooms and golf simulators are being added to basement complexes and wellness continues to be at the forefront of many family agendas, adds Watson. He currently has a family looking to build a Vitamin D room (which mimics the effects of natural sunlight during the long winters) and another that wants to create an urban-style vegetable patch on their roof.
