House with own temple and link to Hess for sale at £895,000

ANNIE BUTTERWORTH

A STUNNING home complete with a 260-year-old temple and links to Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess is on the market for £895,000.

The unusual property in Edinburgh combines a luxurious modern house attached to a two-storey temple built in 1759.

Craigiehall Temple was once part of the British Army’s Craigiehall Estate and is half a mile from where

Hess is said to have been held after he flew to Scotland in 1941.

The main building on the estate, Craigiehall House, was also the site of the official surrender of

German forces in Norway in 1945.

The temple itself features a pillared portico that was once part of Craigiehall House and was designed by Sir William Bruce, the architect behind the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Edinburgh.

The temple was incorporated into the design of a six-bedroom home in 1992 and one of the bedrooms is on its upper floor. The ground floor has a dining hall.

There was once a third floor but in 1977 this was removed after it was judged a risk to aircraft at the city’s recentlyexpanded airport.

Craigiehall Estate, on the western outskirts of the city, dates from the 12th century. The Earl of Annandale, who owned the land in the late

17th century, commissioned the construction of Craigiehall House in 1695.

It was inherited by Charles

Rudolf Hess is said to have been held at house in 1941.

Hope-Weir, the son of the Earl of Hopeton, who in 1759 constructed the temple as an ornamental feature.

The estate, including the house and temple, was requisitioned in 1939 for use by the armed forces.