Home that has a little bit moor...
Allure of a sailor’s retreat
WHEN you have sampled all the world has to offer, your home has an awful lot to live up to. Hermione Spencer and husband Hugh circumnavigated the globe on a 28-year-old sloop called the ‘Susquehanna’ between 2001 and 2007. Their six-year voyage saw them cross the Atlantic to Venezuela and Colombia, before passing through the Panama Canal on their way to the Cook Islands, Tahiti, New Zealand and Fiji.
Their trip also took in Borneo, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Oman, Eritrea and Egypt.
Throughout her time on the ocean wave, Mrs Spencer’s anchor was always Ashfield House, a splendid Georgian villa in Dunbartonshire which had been the family home since 1972.
Perhaps it’s not surprising the house lies just a mile or so from Loch Lomond, at Gartocharn, which offers endless possibilities for keen matelots.
But after more than 40 years, the Spencers feel it’s time to let another family enjoy the many benefits of the elegant B-listed property and plan to down-size nearby.
Ashfield House was built in 1824 by Glasgow builder Walter McIndoe, just off the old military road running between Stirling and Dumbarton Castles.
It underwent extensive remodelling after it was purchased just before the Second World War by a Mr Reid of Whytock & Reid, the celebrated Edinburgh cabinet makers regularly charged with fitting out ocean-going liners including the first Queen Mary.
It seems Mr Reid brought his work home with him. It is testament to his craftsman’s skills that drawers in the walnut wood fitted dressing room at Ashfield House still glide beautifully to this day.
It’s also thought that Mr Reid demolished a central wing to the rear of the house and reused the stone to create a terrace and standalone cottage within the 7.5 acres of grounds.
The symmetrical entrance to the property is draped in a garland of wild flowers, roses, wisteria, winter jasmine and a splendid magnolia grandiflora.
It all adds to the mystique of Ashfield House, almost invisible to prying eyes in the summer when the grand chestnut trees are in leaf. Wildlife abounds in the gardens, populated by woodpeckers, red squirrels and even owls.
Mrs Spencer’s favourite room in the house is the drawing room… and no wonder. It boasts south and west-facing windows, a pretty stone fireplace and, through an archway, a delightful ante room which the selling agents suggest is ‘perfect for taking afternoon tea’.
Said Mrs Spencer: ‘The thing I like about the house is that it’s able to expand and contract to suit the family of the time.
‘I love the Georgian feel to the place. There’s a farm nearby and all our children got to enjoy contact with animals, particularly during the lambing season.
‘It’s only a mile and a half from the train station and you’re just as handy for sailing as you are for skiing.’
Downstairs also comes with an elegant dining room with polished floor, study, butler’s pantry, kitchen, breakfast room, utility room and playroom.
Upstairs is the master bedroom, complete with those Whytock & Reid units in the dressing room, three further bedrooms and two bathrooms.
At the rear of the house lies a self-contained studio apartment, which would work well as an artist’s studio thanks to the volume of natural light it offers.
A detached single-storey cottage, built from the demolished wing of the main house, could easily be let out as holiday accommodation.
The only domestic accessory Ashfield House doesn’t appear to have is a jetty.
But, unlike Mrs Spencer, not every householder has their own boat.
Offers over £750,000 to Andrew Perratt of Savills, Glasgow. For details telephone: 0141 222 5875, or email: aperratt@savills.com