3 Bed Terraced House, Single Let, Buckie, AB56 4XW £345,000

Outside: The stunning 18 acre policies, shared by the 14 mansion house properties, were largely planned by the 5th Earl of Findlater. The church from that period remains, as does part of the original estate office and the factor’s house, named Old Cullen. The extensive, well-wooded policies are beautiful in all seasons, with much horticultural interest, and provide excellent walks. Among the highlights are the Castle Hill, from which there is a beautiful, almost panoramic view of the Moray Firth and the hills of Caithness and Sutherland beyond. The large single-arched stone bridge, which stands 64 feet above the Cullen Burn, was built by James, 5th Earl of Findlater, but paid for, unusually, by his wife, Lady Sophia Hope. It is an outstanding example of the work of Robert Adam, who also designed the grand entrance gate by which the house is approached. In the striking landscape known as the Punch Bowl, is a small stone bridge, known as Prince Charlie’s Bridge. This was part of the old road from Aberdeen to Inverness which ran through the old Burgh of Cullen.

There is a delightful, sheltered private courtyard area to the rear of The Old Kitchen, accessed directly from the property. This is lovely alfresco spot enclosed by low garden walls and mature trees and shrubs.

Across the driveway on a sloping site is a larger area of garden enclosed by walls and fencing and laid shrubs, trees and grass. This magical area feels like a secret garden with a path leading to the bothy, an attractive detached stone building with a pantile roof in a secluded garden setting. Converted to provide a lounge/kitchen/bedroom and contemporary wet room, there is electric heating including underfloor heating in the wet room. This space is highly adaptable as a garden studio or home office.

Garage: Single vehicle garage contained within a detached block of four with pitched and slated roof. Power is connected and there is a timber door.

Location

This impressive property sits in a semi-rural, elevated position in Cullen, an attractive fishing village and former Royal Burgh on the North Sea coast on the A98, about (20 miles) from Elgin. The surrounding landscape is much admired and is included in the North East 250 route. Cullen boasts a traditional harbour and a long stretch of sandy beach famous for the ‘Three Kings’ rock feature and with excellent coastal walks to Sunnyside beach as well as the ruins of Findlater Castle. The beautiful waters surrounding the village make an excellent spot for swimming. Adjacent to the beach is the acclaimed Cullen golf course, designed by Tom Morris, along with club facilities and car parking. Dotted throughout the town are a range of interesting tea rooms, restaurants and hotels (Cullen Skink is a local delicacy) as well as antique and gift shops, a pharmacy, a medical centre and a small supermarket. The Seafield Arms is a four star hotel with bar and restaurant. Pre-school and primary education are available in the village, while secondary schools are located in the nearby town of Buckie, some six miles away, where there are also larger NHS facilities, banks and supermarkets. Gordonstoun School accepts day and boarding pupils and is about 29 miles away. The nearby River Spey and the Deveron are two of Scotland’s premier fishing rivers. There are unlimited opportunities for hill walking, with deer forests and grouse moors also within easy reach. The area is famed for its varied and abundant wildlife, and there are of course, a number of well-known distilleries.

Square Footage: 2,949 sq ft

Additional Info

General: Category A Listed

Viewings: Strictly by appointment with Savills on

Services: Mains electricity and water. Private drainage. Oil central heating. The windows are of timber sash and casement single glazing. Operating window shutters. Attached outbuilding to the rear of the house contains the oil tank and is under a slate roof.

Miscellaneous: There are limited rights of access over the roads for the general public and access is restricted to Tuesday and Friday only between 1 and 5pm. The only shared cost associated with ownership is maintenance for the communal policies which ranges from £2,000 to £3,000 per annum per home depending on what is required. Otherwise all other maintenance of The Old Kitchen is exclusive only to The Old Kitchen. Points of reference are from Cullen House Charles Wood, and Cullen House Survey by Michael Urquhart dated 1990.

Fixtures & Fittings: Standard fixtures and fittings are included in the sale.

Servitude rights, burdens and wayleaves: The property is sold subject to and with the benefit of all servitude rights, burdens, reservations and wayleaves, including rights of access and rights of way, whether public or private, light, support, drainage, water and wayleaves for masts, pylons, stays, cable, drains and water, gas and other pipes, whether contained in the Title Deeds or informally constituted and whether referred to in the General Remarks and Stipulations or not. The Purchaser(s) will be held to have satisfied himself as to the nature of all such servitude rights and others.

Possession: Vacant possession and entry will be given on completion.

Offers: Offers, in Scottish legal form, must be submitted by your solicitor to the Selling Agents. It is intended to set a closing date but the seller reserves the right to negotiate a sale with a single party. All genuinely interested parties are advised to instruct their solicitor to note their interest with the Selling Agents immediately after inspection.

Deposit: A deposit of 10% of the purchase price may be required. It will be paid within 7 days of the conclusion of Missives. The deposit will be non-returnable in the event of the Purchaser(s) failing to complete the sale for reasons not attributable to the Seller or his agents.