Pleasant by name...
Idyllic villa yours for price of a London flat, writes
IS it any wonder Londoners are queuing up to view Mount Pleasant, fittingly described by estate agents as ‘one of the finest houses in Dumfries’? For less than the cost of a Pimlico pigeon loft, buyers from the South can have a five-bedroom detached sandstone villa in its own grounds.
Using the excellent rail link available from nearby Lockerbie station, they can be back in London within four hours, boasting to chums about their ‘estate’ in Scotland.
Selling agent Ran Morgan says the vast difference in property values in the north and south could lead to Mount Pleasant being snapped up rapidly, adding: ‘It does appear the gap in prices between London and parts of Scotland is as wide as it has ever been.
‘In places like Pimlico, you couldn’t get a one-bedroom flat for under £600,000 yet Mount Pleasant is on the market at offers over £475,000.
‘It is an attractive 19th-century Italianate villa, probably built by a trader who was at the top of his game at the time. It makes nice use of its extensive gardens and enjoys commanding views over Dumfries and the wider county of Nithsdale. Try to build something like that today and it would cost between £1million and £2million.’
House prices in Dumfries in recent years have closely reflected the estate agent’s mantra of location, location, location. The town is far removed from the engine room of Scotland’s Central Belt and at least 45 minutes from the motorway down to England.
But the wider Dumfries and Galloway region is proving a magnet for logistics companies, attracted by the fact that its location offers access north and south.
Dumfries also offers an enhanced standard of living, with its own rugby club, cricket club and even its own football side in the Scottish Championship, Queen of the South. Hospital facilities and local schools are good, too.
Mr Morgan added: ‘If your lifestyle does not require you to be in a central location, a town like Dumfries proves very attractive.’
The C-listed house has a hallway with a gorgeous original mosaic floor, three full-height reception rooms with marble fireplaces and rich cornicing. There are five bedrooms, three bathrooms and an Aga in the kitchen, plus extensive gardens and a tool store.
As you enjoy a summer’s day on its lawns, the congestion of London must seem a long way away. Anyone choosing the Smoke over this would have to be Barking.
Offers over £475,000 to Ran Morgan of Knight Frank, tel 0131 516 3931 or email: ran.morgan@ knightfrank.com