A past masterpiece
It may look medieval, writes Paul Drury, but it’s almost a new-build
It’s a setting straight out of a medieval melodrama – the grand hall dominated by giant oak beams, heraldic banners on the walls and the odd suit of armour in the corner. At White Rose tower, the only thing that’s missing from the gallery is a king’s minstrel, plucking away on his lute.
Yet while this looks like a journey back in time, you don’t have to traverse the centuries to get to the origins of this remarkable property. In fact, you need go back only to the 1990s.
Incredibly, this dramatic tower house near Invergordon, Ross-shire, is only two decades old, the impassioned work of a couple determined to recreate medieval living at the turn of the millennium.
Certainly, it made something of an impression on selling agent Kevin Maley when he arrived to view it for the first time.
‘I don’t think I have ever seen anything quite like it,’ he said.
‘When I drove up, I thought the older part of the house was at least more than 100 years old.
‘But to learn that it was built in the 1990s was just astonishing. Nothing has been done on the cheap and the oak beams in the grand hall alone must have cost a fortune.
‘the amazing thing is, it was just a couple on their own living here.’
the whitewashed property was built to mirror the traditional scottish tower house.
such constructions gained favour in medieval times, offering a residence that could be defended by small numbers, yet offer an almost aristocratic lifestyle.
the couple who built it even included arrow-slit vertical windows, like those designed to take on attackers, with minimal exposure for the bowman.
there is remarkable attention to detail in the grand hall, which is 44ft long and 17ft wide, and dominated by those magnificent exposed roof beams, full wood panelling and a number of hidden doors.
A solid wood spiral staircase leads upstairs to the gallery, which overlooks the grand hall and on to the master bedroom suite.
One of five bedrooms in the house, it also has a spiral staircase leading to an observatory.
the roof comes off and the telescope offers unrestricted views of the stars – another attractive attribute of a property, where features can be measured in a single word: astronomical.
Offers over £450,000 to Kevin Maley of Strutt & Parker. Tel 01463 719 171 or email kevin.maley@ struttandparker.com