OFFERS OVER 220k

A former shepherd’s property, Swallow’s Nest Cottage is an unconventional home which has been completely transformed over the past 20 years

OCCUPYING beautifully landscaped garden grounds on the edge of Kilmacolm village in Inverclyde, Auchenbothie Lodge is a rare architectural gem – a B-listed detached cottage designed in 1901 by Charles Rennie Mackintosh when he was with Glasgow-based architects practice, Honeyman, Keppie and Mackintosh. Interestingly, it was built at a cost of £507 and 10 shillings as the gate lodge to nearby Auchenbothie House, designed earlier in 1898 by another distinguished Scottish architect, William Leiper.

Although modest in size and with accommodation on one level, this simple two bedroomed cottage oozes style and boasts high ceilings that follow the slope of the roof to around half its height before becoming horizontal, which makes the interior surprisingly lofty. It also has unusual angles and latticed windows throughout.

The interior features a dual aspect living room with wood-burning stove, recently refitted kitchen with integrated appliances and oak worktops, two double bedrooms (both with fitted wardrobes) and a large modern bathroom with over-bath shower. The lodge’s other unique selling points are outside, in the recently landscaped rear garden, which now boasts a raised deck with space for dining – and screened for privacy, a hot tub – and at the end of a paved path that winds through a sizeable tree-lined lawn, a delightful octagonal timber summerhouse with matching latticed windows, currently used as a garden sitting room. With documented evidence to support its provenance, Auchenbothie is an architecturally significant property, for sale with Slater Hogg & Howison’s Bridge of Weir office at offers over £220,000.