From TV appearances to hosting classical concerts, this lavish seven-bedroom Georgian mansion is quite the show-stopper.
The long and winding driveway to Carbeth Guthrie House has the effect of filling any visitor with a mounting sense of anticipation. Indeed, when the handsome white Georgian building finally comes into view, it doesn't disappoint. The whole scene, with lavish scenery which stretches to Dumgoyne hill, has a filmic sense of grandeur.
Indeed, its charms have not gone unnoticed by location scouts. The property, just 11 miles from Glasgow, near the village of Blanefield, has featured in two Taggart episodes, the BBC4 factual series, A Blooming History, and the comedy Legit for BBC Scotland.
During his time in the house, owner, Allan Barns-Graham, has seen the house play venue to several real-life dramas, specifically four weddings . . . and a christening.
One of these weddings was his own, in 2007, to wife Moyra, with whom he now shares the house. His two grown children, Eleanor and Alexander, are regular visitors and often return home with friends in tow.
Boasting seven bedrooms, three of which are en-suite, there is always room to stay. Carbeth Guthrie house has been owned by Allan's family for the best part of a century. His great-grandfather, whose portrait still graces the wall, bought the property in 1890.
It was sold in 1924 and subsequently had a variety of owners. Almost 40 years later, motivated by happy childhood memories, Allan's father bought the property and it has remained in the Barns-Graham family ever since.
Old photographs show the house before the white paintwork gave it its current facelift.
Many of the windows have been extended out into attractive bays which, as well as creating a more attractive exterior, maximises the light into the house.
A sweeping stone staircase flanked by Grecian-style pillars makes an impressive entrance. Spread over four storeys, the house includes a two-bedroom basement flat with a separate front door. The attic level, originally staff accommodation, also provides several spacious self-contained rooms, ideal for teenagers.
The main two floors are characterised by high ceilings, deep cornicing and expansive windows which look out towards the surrounding Campsie hills.
Handsome wood panelling in the hallway evokes the building's heritage and is continued into the sitting room, which is open and off the hallway.
Here a wood-burning stove sits under an intricately carved fireplace and makes an eye-catching focal point.
At the end of the hallway the cavernous drawing room has been the venue for many classical concerts which have been staged in the house over the years. Pianists Steven Osborne, Benjamin Grosvenor and Tom Poster and violinist Elizabeth Layton are just some of the internationally acclaimed musicians who have played concerts here to raise funds for their chosen charities.
With a kitchen large enough to service a hotel and plenty of space for guests to mill with a glass of bubbly, the house is an ideal venue and has been well used in this way over the years.
"It's definitely a place to share with other people," says Barns-Graham. "It's a good house for entertaining. People always describe it as being very friendly and warm. With just my wife and I at home now, we are looking for a smaller house. This is a family home where there should be children running around."
What: A B-listed seven-bedroom Georgian property set in 52 acres.
Where: The Carbeth Guthrie Estate, two miles from Blanefield on the border between Stirlingshire and East Dunbartonshire.
Price: Offers over £1.25m.
Contact: Clyde Property. Bearsden. Call 0141 570 0777.
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