Real house of history
From Robert the Bruce to Sir Robert Lorimer, this is a home with heritage
THESE days, you don’t have to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth before you can join the country set. To bring William Shakespeare up to date, some are born great, some achieve greatness and some get a great offer thrust upon ’em by an estate agent.
When Drumkilbo House was first brought to the market seven years ago, it carried a price tag of £1.65 million.
Today, the Perthshire mansion and 14 acres of lovely countryside in the Vale of Strathmore could be yours for as little as £825,000.
It’s perhaps impractical to view this country seat as simply a grand home for a growing family. The roll call of accommodation reads like the (nearby) Blairgowrie telephone directory.
There are nine bedroom suites, a billiard room, swimming pool, carved wooden fireplaces and even a ‘Lady in Waiting’ bedroom.
The present owners have wisely been using Drumkilbo as a rural retreat for others, offering holiday lets, weekend breaks for shooting parties and – not surprisingly – weddings.
Typical of reviews left by visitors was the comment from one party organiser: ‘Far from the madding crowd, amid Drumkilbo’s ancient oaks, elms and chestnuts, which tells of a history far longer than my years and a calm and a peace I could never hope to achieve, save in these brief, wonderful few days.’
A number of websites have been established to ensure the charms of this rural idyll are spread far and wide.
Of course, the internet was not in existence when this place was remodelled by the celebrated Scottish baronial architect Sir Robert Lorimer in 1920.
Sir Robert was one of Scotland’s most prolific designers, responsible for hundreds of constructions all over the world. He was working on Drumkilbo at the same time as he was designing a number of rather more solemn commissions.
As well as the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle, he was also responsible for similar commemorative edifices all over the Continent, from Germany to Macedonia.
A friend of Sir William Burrell (of Glasgow’s Burrell Collection fame) he fell out with his rich benefactor due to his legendary temper.
In the course of a disagreement with another client, Sir Robert told him: ‘This house will be remembered because I designed it, not because you paid for it.’
It is believed Drumkilbo was first settled in Pictish times, when courts were held at nearby Meigle, formerly known as Midgill. Roman invaders called the locals Picts, or ‘painted ones’ in Latin. The first recorded owner of Drumkilbo was Robert the Bruce, pictured left. Braveheart hero Sir William Wallace was a frequent visitor. During Sir Robert’s renovations in 1920, accounts were discovered from a Dundee draper, dated 1745. A sword was found, made in Solingen in Germany. You are spoiled for choice when seeking out accommodation to use. The drawing room is beautifully proportioned, with ceiling mouldings and plaster-panelled walls.
Perhaps a winter’s afternoon would be best spent in the writing room, complete with bay window overlooking the garden and the carved wooden mantel fireplace glowing away in the corner.
Signature fireplaces are also a feature of the sitting, breakfast and dining rooms. The kitchen has a four-oven Aga to keep things warm.
Many of the 11 bedrooms upstairs (nine suites and two others) have such names as the Glamis Suite (in honour of the nearby castle) the Wallace Suite and the Bruce Bedroom. The extensive master bedroom suite has its own corridor, with generous wardrobes.
Sir Robert also designed part of the gardens, comprising two terraces separated by a low retaining wall. There’s a Spanish chestnut, planted around 1750, and two magnificent limes dating from about 1800.
It may not carry a title, but ownership of Drumkilbo would surely make you feel like a lord of the manor.
Jamie Macnab of estate agent Savills said: ‘The reduction in price makes Drumkilbo a fantastic opportunity for someone with a little entrepreneurial spirit.
‘It could work as a combination of private residence with a commercial element.’
Offers over £825,000 to Jamie Macnab of Savills. Tel 0131 247 3738 or email jmacnab@savills.com