THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE KNOCKBAIN, KIRKHILL, INVERNESS
THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE KNOCKBAIN, KIRKHILL INVERNESS IV5 7PL A sympathetically converted former schoolhouse, now comprising a delightful family home. Beauly 5 miles Inverness 10 miles The accommodation comprises: Ground Floor Porch. Shower room. Utility room. 3 Bedrooms. Drawing Room. Snug. Front porch. Kitchen. Dining Room. Bathroom. WC. First Floor 3 Bedrooms. Bathroom. Shower Room. A well designed and practical conversion. Lovely setting in the popular rural area of Knockbain. Charming, manageable garden. Within easy commuting distance of Inverness and close to Beauly. The former parlour with an open tiled fireplace and wood panelling. About 0.21 Hectares (0.51 Acres) in all. Reay House 17 Old Edinburgh Road Inverness IV2 3HF 01463 224343 inverness@galbraithgroup.com Looking from the parlour into the fabulous kitchen and the front hall.
GENERAL The Old Schoolhouse was designed by Inverness architect William Mackintosh Senior in 1875. Architect Thomas Munro is listed as being responsible for later additions and alterations. When purchased by the current owners in 1997, The Schoolhouse contained the two-room schoolroom, with two fireplaces in it and a small room off where the children kept their paints, with a door to the outside and a courtyard. The Schoolhouse abutted a separate but adjacent schoolmaster s house, at the time comprising a library, front hall, three downstairs rooms and a small kitchen that led into the courtyard. Below the garden wall was the canteen building, in which the children had their meals. In 1977 there was an additional building to the north of the canteen which was the first annex to the 1875 schoolhouse. Not long after 1997 it was removed to the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore. One of the first actions in 1997 was to remove the flimsy wooden partitioning in the Big room, now the Drawing room, between the two classrooms, and to replace one of the fireplaces with a door that led directly into the schoolmaster s house. The felt carpeting was removed to reveal a beautiful teak floor, typical of the imports from the empire that flooded Britain in the late 19th century and is still in place today. At the same time, it was decided to decorate what was then a large, but very plain room, which had cornices on the long sides, but nothing on the ends. Muralists Peter and Rebecca Thwaites from Gloucestershire who used the trompe l oeil (deceive the eye) method of painting to create the illusion of cornices on the short sides to match the others were commissioned. They also painted the doorway at the end of the room next to the front hall with designs inspired by architectural features in the ruined priory at Beauly. Next, they decorated above the windows with softening lines and above the doorways into the schoolmaster s house, they used schoolroom images to keep the connection with the building s former use. The second phase of renovation was carried out in the early 2000s by renowned local architect Hector Macdonald. This included connecting the dining end of the big room with the schoolmaster s portion by converting the courtyard into a kitchen that flowed open plan into the former parlour, making the floor plan contiguous. One of the adjacent downstairs rooms was divided into a bathroom and a larder for the kitchen. The magnificent drawing room with teak flooring and panelled walls to dado height. The large open fireplace on a raised hearth is the focal point of the drawing room. The fitted kitchen with exposed stone wall and a central cupola giving maximum light.
The snug with an open antique fireplace and exposed timber floor. Double bedroom featuring original fireplace. Twin bedroom, partly coombed with velux window. Bathroom with mixer shower over and partly panelled walls to dado height.
At that time, the house consisted of one-a-half floors, with only one upstairs bedroom at the landing level and considerable attic space above. The staircase was continued into the attic, creating two bedrooms and a shower room in that space. Knockbain as it is today was now complete. This area of the Highlands is unique for its proximity to the city of Inverness and its easy access to the Great Glen, together with its many tourist attractions. Yet, just a short distance away from the popular centres, the beautiful countryside remains unspoilt and tranquil, providing a haven for wildlife. Close by is the beautiful Reelig glen, with lovely walks through some of Scotland s finest and tallest trees. Strathfarrar and Glen Affric, two National Nature Reserves with remnants of the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest set in a landscape of outstanding beauty lie nearby. This lovely, open countryside offers the best in rural sport and recreation, from enjoying the native wildlife, to walking, cycling and riding on forest tracks, and fishing for salmon and trout on the many local rivers and lochs nearby. Beauly, a charming and prosperous village with a good selection of shops, hotels and a railway station, is about 5 miles away. There is an excellent primary school at nearby Kirkhill and the city of Inverness, about 10 miles distant, is a vibrant and diverse city which offers a comprehensive range of shops, schools and recreational facilities. International air links and national rail links are also available from Inverness airport, about 15 miles. The Old Schoolhouse is approached off the minor public road, a short tarmac drive through a tubular steel gate leading to a tarmacadam parking area to the side of the house. GARDEN GROUNDS The garden at Knockbain extends to about half an acre and is surrounded in part by an attractive stone wall and part by fencing and hedging along the road. It is an attractive, easily managed garden with formal lawns, 2 apple trees, herbaceous borders and mature birch and beech trees. Log shed, 3m x2.7m Of stone construction under corrugated iron roof. SERVICES Electricity - mains Water - mains Drainage - private Heating - night storage Internet - broadband available COUNCIL TAX The Old Schoolhouse falls into band G. EPC The EPC rating is G. NOTE The vendors own the adjacent former school canteen which is currently used for storage. This has it s own access off the public road and can readily be screened from the house. The owners plan to apply for planning consent for this site for a house which they will then sell separately. They also own a plot of ground up the hill to the rear of the garden and again they are applying for consent for a house here. This will not affect the privacy and enjoyment of the Schoolhouse. Both these plots are available by separate negotiation to the purchaser of the Schoolhouse should they so wish. DIRECTIONS The postcode for the property is IV5 7PL. Take the A862 signposted to Beauly, follow this road through Bunchrew and Lentran then turn left at the former policeman s house signposted to Clunes and Moniack. Follow the road for approximately 1 mile round the sharp right hand bend and just after Moniack Castle turn left signposted for South Clunes. The Old Schoolhouse is the second house on your right opposite Knockbain Farm. MOVEABLES Fitted carpets, curtains, light fittings and white goods are included in the sale. Further items of furniture may be available by separate negotiation. VIEWING Viewing is by prior appointment only through the Selling Agents, CKD Galbraith, Reay House, 17 Old Edinburgh Road, Inverness IV2 3HF. Telephone (01463) 224343. The person who may accompany you may however not be an employee of CKD Galbraith. MORTGAGE FINANCE We have an alliance with Fox Private Finance, a boutique brokerage with a bespoke approach to funding. Through their relationships with retail, commercial and private banks they can assist with securing a mortgage to suit your circumstances. If you would like advice about any aspect of financing your home purchase then contact Matthew, based in our Edinburgh office, on 0131 240 6990 or email mg@ foxprivatefinance.com
MEASUREMENTS Ground Floor Side Porch 2m x 1.5m Side Hall 4.37m x 3.06m max Shower Room 2.77m x 1.95m Utility Room 1.56m x 1.54m Bed 1 4.24m x 3.45m inc en-suite Drawing Room (former school room) 14.2m x 5.39m Snug 3.23m x 3.99m Front Hall 4.85m x 2.14m Front porch 2.1m x 1.07m Bed 2 3.98m x 3.35m Bed 3 3.97m x 2.57m Dining Room 3.96m x 5.92m (breakfast area) Kitchen 4.13m x 3.6m Larder 2.61m x 1.67m Bathroom 2.61m x 2.14m First Floor Bathroom 2.86m x 1.87m Bed 4 4.04m x 3.89m max Bed 5 5.13m x 2.75m max Shower Room 2.83m x 1.67m Bed 6 3.55m x 3.35m IMPORTANT NOTES 1 These particulars are intended to give a fair and overall description of the property. If any points are relevant to your interest, please ask for further information prior to viewing. Prospective purchasers are advised to seek their own professional advice. 2 Areas, measurements and distances are given as a guide. Photographs depict only certain parts of the property. Nothing within the particulars shall be deemed to be a statement as to the structural condition, nor the working order of the services and appliances. 3 These particulars shall not be binding on our clients whether acted on or otherwise, unless the same is incorporated within a written document, signed by our clients or on their behalf, satisfying the requirements of Section 3 of The Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995. 4 Closing Date A closing date may be fixed. Prospective purchasers who have notified their interest through lawyers to CKD Galbraith, in writing, will be advised of a closing date, unless the property has been sold previously. The Seller will not be obliged to accept the highest, or indeed any offer and has the right to accept an offer at any time or withdraw the property from the market. The Seller will not be liable for any costs incurred by interested parties. 5 Offers Formal offers in the acceptable Scottish form should be submitted, through a Scottish Lawyer, to CKD Galbraith, Reay House, 17 Old Edinburgh Road, Inverness, IV2 3HF. 6 Third Party Rights and Servitudes The subjects are sold together with and subject to all existing rights of way, servitudes, wayleaves and others whether contained in the Title Deeds or otherwise, and purchasers will be deemed to have satisfied themselves in all respects thereof.