A truly grown-up den
Former holiday home makes a superb rural retreat, says Paul Drury
FOR its proud owners, it is a place that evokes many happy memories of endless childhood holidays spent playing and exploring the house and its grounds. Mike Elder, his brother, David, and their parents would pile into the family Morris Minor for the journey to Green Den, at Dunottar, just outside Stonehaven, Kincardineshire.
Bought by the family in 1929, the striking property was then their grandparents’ house and a 12-hour drive from Mr Elder’s boyhood home in the Wirral, Merseyside.
Almost a century later, Green Den will be leaving the family’s ownership after the brothers put the detached, colonial-styled, six-bedroom villa on the market.
‘It is, for me, the most special house in the world,’ said Mr Elder, an English teacher in Aberdeen.
‘It’s a real one-off, with quirky features and nooks and crannies which constantly remind me of our childhood.
‘You can still see the stainedglass window in the library has sustained an injury in the past – that was me when we were playing cricket as kids. My brother, Dave, had a “listening tree” in the nearby woods, where he would sit and talk to the tree about the problems he might be having.’
Green Den is B-listed in recognition of its striking original features. It probably got its name because its wood is painted green and it lies low within its two acres of grounds, including wild woodland, gardens and a stream.
It was designed in solid sandstone in 1900 by George Gregory, a renowned local architect. Apart from the stained-glass window in the library, Green Den has panelled doors, moulded cornicing, ornate fireplaces, original flooring and sash and case windows. Even the butler’s bells still work.
A particular treat is the original mosaic tiled flooring in the entrance vestibule, which gives way to the reception hall through a partially leaded glass door. A charming sitting room overlooks the front gardens through a large bay window. In the dining/family room there is a Glasgow Style fireplace with mahogany surround and tiled inset.
A set of doors with stained-glass panels opens into the sun room, which has views of the rear garden and access to the driveway.
Three of the six bedrooms are on the ground floor, all with ornate white-painted fireplaces. The remaining three are on the upper floor, where there is a playroom.
Laura Totten, of selling agent Savills, describes Green Den as a ‘real treasure’.
She said: ‘It’s a splendid family home in a very popular and lively seaside town yet set in two leafy acres, providing plenty of scenic privacy. The clue is in the name.’
Offers over £525,000 to Laura Totten on 01224 971125 or email laura.totten@savills.com