Victorian gem with evergreen appeal

FOR sale – lovely B-listed Victorian family house, complete with period detailing, luxury kitchen and a giant, ancient tree…

Scotland has a few famous trees, including Europe’s tallest conifer, a whopping 66.4 metres high; the Fortingall Yew, believed to be anything up to 3,000 years old; and the 64 metre-high Grand Fir in Argyll, thought to have been planted by the Callander family in 1875.

The tree in the grounds of Hayford House, in Cambusbarron near Stirling, is even older, as current owner Michael Cole explains.

“It’s a fabulous old evergreen tree, believed to have been planted around the time the house was built in 1850,” he says.

“It is about 150 feet, or 46 metres tall, and about four metres across. It’s huge – and really adds character to the house and gardens.”

Hayford House is full of character, with many original features having been preserved in a sensitive modernisation and upgrading around 10 years ago.

Michael bought the house in 2009.

“We had it completely renovated, because it had become a bit of a wreck,” he recalls. “We liked it because it was a traditional, Scottish house in a lovely setting.

“At the time, I was spending a lot of time in Scotland through work, so it made sense to move here.

“Now my business interests are mainly centred around Staffordshire, so we’ll be moving down south.

“I’ll miss Hayford House, though – it really is a very pleasant place, and it will make a great family home.”

Hayford House was built for the owner of Hayford Mill, which has long since been converted into flats.

The B-listed Victorian villa has been carefully maintained, modernised and extended both internally and externally, to create a fantastic, flexible home.

The ornate cornicing, fireplaces and skirtings are original.

“We wanted to preserve the history of the place, to maintain the ‘Scottishness’ of it,” says Michael.

“The same was true in the garden, which we wanted to keep as a traditional, Scottish garden full of different areas rather than just one big manicured lawn. So there are areas to sit and relax, lawns and plenty of wildflowers to encourage bees and butterflies.”

Hayford House has its own leafy drive, which leads up to the main house and a couple of handy outbuildings which are included in the sale.

These are currently used as storerooms but could be converted into additional living accommodation or a fabulous home office.

Inside the property, a large reception hallway leads to a spacious lounge which boasts high ceilings, a feature fireplace and intricate ceiling cornicing. Its broad bay window provides fantastic views over the gardens.

The open plan kitchen-dining-family space is perfect for modern family life, as Michael explains.

“We liked the fact the house has lots of private areas and spaces, but also has a large open area where everybody can be together while we are cooking or having dinner,” he says.

“It’s really great for parties or entertaining friends too, having this space here – and it’s how modern families live nowadays, isn’t it?”

“You can escape up here on a Sunday morning with the newspapers and no one will bother you,” he laughs.

The kitchen is fabulous – a bespoke Clive Christian design with striking work surfaces and excellent appliances and features,

The original sweeping Victorian staircase is flooded with light