Casting a magic spell
Home has an enchanting history... and links to Merlin, finds Paul Drury
Can surrounding yourself with green space cure the blues? a trip to a city park provides as much of a boost to your happiness as the arrival of Christmas, according to research by the British Ecological Society.
Spending time outdoors, seeing trees and hearing birdsong all improve our mental well-being, noted another study, by King’s College London.
If these findings are correct, then estate agents might be within their rights to claim that moving to Braes House near Denny, Stirlingshire, could benefit your health.
This historic family property is surrounded by 33 acres of formal gardens and woodland walks. There is a front garden laid to lawn with planted borders, specimen trees and an orchard.
Surrounding the gardens is mixed mature woodland, carpeted in banks of daffodils and bluebells in the spring and summer.
Completing the picture of rural idyll is a burn and small reservoir. You would be tempted to move without even viewing the house and attached cottage.
Original deeds from 1643 are still held within Braes House, including
the document which states that Lady Stirling gifted it to the then toll master.
Retained paperwork charts the various uses of the property over almost 400 years – from toll house to a monastery, a farm and now a spacious family home.
The ground floor has an entrance hall and a sitting room with a wonderful open fireplace.
The stone arch in the kitchen is original, making you wonder how many dinners have been cooked beneath it over four centuries. In the dining room is a fine fireplace with a blue marble surround and adam-style mantelpiece.
In keeping with homes of its vintage, Braes House has a firstfloor drawing room, alongside a bathroom and two bedrooms – including the master suite.
There are two more bedrooms and a further bathroom on the second floor but the accommodation does not stop there. The adjoining Easter Braes is a former chapel which has been converted to offer a reception room, three bedrooms and a bathroom.
This could be used as guest accommodation or even a holiday let, given the property’s location in the heart of the countryside.
On top of that, there’s a twostorey barn, double garage and pool house, which has a 10ft by 20ft swimming pool complete with sauna. Yet further possibilities are provided by the former coach house, which offers more potential as a residential development.
a wonderful conversation piece can be found atop a small hillock in the grounds. Here lies the remains of a small fort that is thought to be Pictish in origin.
Research undertaken by historian and author adam ardrey suggests this could be the final resting place of Merlin, the wizard in the court of King arthur.
The Fintry Hills, Campsie Fells and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs national Park are all within easy reach.
With all that on your doorstep, you don’t need a wizard to tell you this place is magic.
Offers over £550,000 to Tom Stewart-Moore of Knight Frank, call 0131 222 9600.