Wonderful home that was transformed by f irst bus tycoon
LONG before Norman Tebbit was invoking the unemployed to adopt two-wheeled, leg-powered transport, a Scots pioneer was urging: ‘Get off your bike.’ A century ago, the bicycle was the main means by which people got about. But Falkirk cycle shop owner Walter Alexander had the vision to see change coming, with industrialisation bringing vehicular public transport within the grasp of millions.
Mr Alexander’s first bus was a chaindriven Belhaven charabanc, which operated on Saturdays and Sundays between Falkirk and Bonnybridge, for the fare of a penny.
From such humble beginnings, the transport empire he created would become the largest producer of double-decker buses in the world. The inspirational Bluebird bus was the brainchild of his son, also called Walter, creating a colourful branding image that still resonates today.
Wisely, Mr Alexander invested the fruits of his labour in bricks and mortar at the grand country pile that is Solsgirth House.
His fortune did not materialise until 60 years after the mansion near Dollar, Clackmannanshire, had been built in 1871. But he set about improving and enhancing the magnificent property, already adorned with sumptuous Victorian and Art Nouveau architecture.
He built the lovely family chapel, which would provide an attractive business proposition for another owner of Solsgirth House many years down the line, current occupier Steven McLeod.
Mr McLeod owns the Aurora Hotels Group, which operates a number of venues in Central Scotland, specialising in weddings in spectacular settings.
Solsgirth House has fulfilled the dreams of hundreds of brides since he began offering the service around six years ago; but a dispute with the local authority over alterations to the building forced him to reconsider his business strategy.
He is not selling the house as a going concern, rather the opportunity to return the Grade B-Listed building to family living once more.
Mr McLeod said: ‘I bought it from good friends of mine, so this will be only the third time it has been on sale in 30 or 40 years.
‘It is a magnificent family home. I lived here, while using only part of the property for weddings.
‘We’ve got Dollar Academy nearby, recognised as one of the best schools in the country, so it would be nice to see a family with three or four children enjoying the benefit of that.’
It’s a hard choice, but his favourite place in the house is the atmospheric dining room, presented with parquet flooring, rich wood panelling on the walls and green textured wallpaper that’s close to 100 years old.
Just imagine the banquets that have taken place here, with the curtains closed and logs burning away in the grand fireplace.
The property schedule reads like a small catalogue; reception hall, drawing room, dining room, library, grand ballroom, billiards room, loggia, office, catering kitchen and store rooms with laundry.
There are nine principal bedrooms and six bathrooms on the first floor, with six further bedrooms on the second.
Add in a butler’s flat, coachman’s flat, a self-contained apartment with two bedrooms and a sitting room and you have a serious piece of real estate on your hands.
Outside, there are 26 acres of grounds, offering lovely gardens and equestrian facilities, including an arena and stabling.
The definition of a ‘transport entrepreneur’ today would probably involve space travel – but the legacy of the man who encouraged a nation to give up bikes is alive and kicking today.
The firm Walter Alexander created a century ago still exists, as Britain’s biggest bus and coach manufacturer, Alexander Dennis.
Strangely enough, Brian Souter and his sister Ann Gloag are its biggest shareholders.