WHAT: Elegant 1930s detached seven-bed villa
WHERE: Busby, East Renfrewshire
PRICE: Offers over £825,000
CONTACT: Savills 0141 222 5875
Tucked away behind the village of Busby in East Renfrewshire, surrounded by peaceful woodland walks, lies this week’s Hot Property gem, writes Ann Wallace.
It is an unexpected find, Clyth House, an attractive 1930s villa which sits in around five acres of land.
It is a stone’s throw away from both the sprawling modern town of East Kilbride and the prominent detached Victorian and Edwardian villas of Glasgow’s south side suburbs and yet it manages to stand apart as a prime example of an elegant, comfortable family home which has lost none of its period charm.
"Clyth House is not an easy home to leave," smiles local property expert Peter Gillespie.
"It has only had a few owners since it was built in 1936 by Mr Sutherland, a senior partner in the building firm John Lawrence.
"The fact that it was built by a builder for himself meant it was constructed to his own exacting standards and that is obvious from the level of craftsmanship evident throughout this wonderful home."
From the outside, Clyth House takes your breath away. Its towering exterior and sweeping entrance driveway provide a dramatic first impression but the welcoming, bright interiors are far from imposing.
Instead, the abundance of natural light and warm wood retained from the original build are comfortable and family-friendly – this is a house which has been lived in and cared for.
Many traditional Art Deco and Arts and Crafts details remain, from original bathrooms and geometrical patterns to the fantastic use of oak and walnut in the entrance hallway and reception rooms.
On the ground floor, an entrance vestibule leads into a stunning open plan grand hallway with its own fireplace and beautiful wooden archways, which is used by the current owners as a room in its own right.
"This has been a well-used space for the family now leaving Clyth House – it has hosted Hogmanay ceilidhs, 21st birthday parties and more," explains Mr Gillespie, of selling agents Savills.
"It harks back to a time when houses used their grand hallways as reception areas, and it is a wonderful space."
It is easy to imagine this room full of people and parties, and it is ideal for entertaining.
From this hallway, you can access a comfortable drawing room, a formal dining room with kitchen and a billiards room, which could also be used as a sitting room or family room.
The ground floor also includes the former servants’ quarters at the rear, now encompassing a butler’s pantry, utility room, laundry room and additional stores accessed via the former maids’ staircase.
On the first floor, a spacious upper landing with original stained glass windows leads to a master bedroom with its own en-suite bathroom, six additional double sized bedrooms and two additional bathrooms.
The stained glass is impressive, filling the beautiful staircase with light and colour.
The grounds are substantial – a sweeping driveway leads to a double garage, and additional outbuildings timber stores, a greenhouse and a garden hut.
The former paddock to the east of the property is surrounded by a wide variety of mature trees and shrubs, providing excellent privacy.
Children’s play houses are also included in the grounds, a reminder of the suitability of Clyth House for growing families.
"It’s a fantastic family home," says Mr Gillespie. "It does require some upgrading, particularly in terms of the kitchen and bathrooms but a home of this square footage with five acres of land is very unusual in this area.
"The family who lived here made full use of the wonderful grounds, even hosting their daughters’ Guide Camps within the gardens.
"They were particularly drawn to the property because they were looking for a large family home with plenty of privacy.
"They achieved that at Clyth House – it has been much-loved."
Mr Gillespie says potential buyers have been attracted by the location of Clyth House, which neatly combines access to urban hotspots with a glorious countryside setting.
"The nearby village of Busby provides a wide selection of shops and restaurants, along with a library, church, tennis and bowling clubs," he explains.
"There are excellent train services nearby, to the centre of Glasgow and to East Kilbride, and Carmunnock Road is within the catchment area of several reputable schools including Busby Primary and Williamwood High School with additional private schooling also available nearby."
The neighbouring suburbs of Clarkston, Giffnock and Newton Mearns also provide a plethora of amenities including The Avenue shopping complex, Williamwood, East Renfrewshire and Whitecraigs golf courses, tennis and bowling clubs with additional sports and recreation facilities.
"It is a great location, and the surrounding woodland provides great privacy," adds Mr Gillespie.
"For a young, professional family looking for a project, Clyth House is ideal."
A closing date for offers has been set for 12 noon on November 4.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article