Location

Coldstone House is enviably situated in the picturesque Howe of Cromar, an area of outstanding beauty, halfway between Donside and Deeside.
On the edge of the Caingorm National Park, the surrounding scenery is breathtaking, with views to Morven and Mount Keen from the house. Nearby sporting pursuits include salmon fishing on the Rivers Dee and Don, wild brown trout fishing on the River Don, red and roe deer stalking and grouse, partridge and pheasant shooting.
The village of Tarland (3 miles) lies some (30 miles) due west of Aberdeen, the economic centre of the region, and (4 miles) northwest of Aboyne, the nearest significant town. The surrounding land is predominantly agricultural in character and Tarland has over time developed a range of amenities suited to the needs of this rural area, as well as a number of sporting and recreational facilities. Its traditional Victorian village square accommodates a number of businesses, including a small supermarket, chemist, coffee shop, two hotels, toy shop / post office, craft shop and village hall. Tarland also has a Tom Morris- designed golf course and is the start off point for the Tarland Way walk and cycle path. It is a popular centre for hill walkers, mountain bikers and tourists. The Tarland Trails offers excellent tracks for mountain biking. Douneside House, part of the MacRobert Estate, has a local health club and fine dining restaurant.
Aboyne (9 miles) is an attractive small Victorian village in Royal Deeside and the main centre for this rural district. There is a supermarket, a fish van every Thursday morning, academy and primary school, an excellent community centre providing theatre/cinema, swimming pool, badminton courts, library and gym. The village also has a health centre with five resident doctors, weekly optometrist and audiometric clinics and a cottage hospital. Both Sainsburys and Tesco deliver to Coldstone House.

Distances:
Aberdeen 35 miles
Aberdeen Airport 35 miles*
*Please note that all distances are approximate

Description

Coldstone House is an exceptional B Listed Georgian country house with associated outbuildings, walled garden, tennis court and about 27 acres of grounds. The imposing three storey white harled property was built in 1783 with an 1826 addition, and has been beautifully renovated following a decade of sympathetic, skillful and researched restoration. Improvements included re-roofing with graded Scots slates; re-pointing and reharling of the exterior with lime render; new plumbing; rewiring; new windows with hand-blown crown glass throughout; insulation in the roof and walls; a new front door and the installation of underfloor heating on the ground floor. Internally, the house has been painstakingly appointed and decorated to create the most fabulous period house now entirely fit for contemporary living. Features of note include open fires and cast iron radiators throughout, Lefroy Brooks kitchen and bathroom brassware, Scotch Holland blinds, traditional Scottish lino flooring in all bathrooms and Wilton carpets in the principal bedrooms. The sellers have further enhanced the property by completely upgrading the adjacent steading to comprise an office, games room and versatile storage. The outbuildings are arranged around a courtyard area to the north of the main house. Wonderful garden grounds surround the property including a tennis court and a fabulous walled garden which was designed by Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist Jonathan Snow. To the north and south lie two paddocks, while an area of woodland to the east provides wonderful amenity.

Approached through the original puddled wrought iron white entrance gates flanked by curved drystone dykes and beech hedging, the gravel drive culminates in a parking area adjacent to the front door.
Accommodation at this magnificent home is spread over three floors. On the ground floor, the solid wood front door with a fanlight opens to a large vestibule with glazed French doors to the most inviting reception hall. With Caithness stone flooring and beautiful original cast iron staircase to the first and second floors, the large reception hall leads to both the dining room and sitting room with a passage leading to the rear of the property. Off the passage, under the stairs is a useful stone wine cellar.
The elegant sitting room is dual aspect with views across the garden and countryside beyond. An open fire with marble mantlepiece and cast iron surround is a fine focal point and other features include ornate cornicing and a shelved alcove.
The dining room is a fantastic room for entertaining with windows on two sides and two shelved alcoves either side of the marble fireplace. A special feature of the dining room is the beautiful hand screen-printed David Skinner wallpaper.
The inviting and atmospheric kitchen is the heart of the home with a navy four oven electric AGA in a granite inglenook. The kitchen is fitted with a comprehensive range of solid wood, joiner-made cabinets with teak worksurfaces. In addition to the AGA there is a Westhal model Lacanche gas cooker with four rings and an oven. Integrated Miele dishwasher and fridge freezer.
From the kitchen a door leads to a passage which accesses the pantry, laundry, boot room and cloakroom. Particularly useful is the walk-in pantry with traditional slate worktop with storage cupboards underneath and shelving above. The well appointed laundry has two hot water tanks, drying pulley, traditional Belfast sink, the central heating boiler and a Miele washing machine and tumble dryer. The boot room has ample hanging and shelf space, the back door and a further door to the cloakroom/WC.
The sweeping staircase with a polished pine banister and ornate cast iron balustrade leads from the entrance hall to the mezzanine landing where the staircase splits. On the first floor to the front, a generous landing leads to the principal bedroom with an en suite bathroom and bedroom 3, each with dual aspect and open fires. To the rear there are two bedrooms, one with dual aspect currently used as a study, and a beautiful bathroom with a cast iron bath, separate shower cubicle and a Vogue heated towel rail.
The staircase continues to the second floor and again splits. To the front are bedrooms 4 and 5 and an adjacent cloakroom. To the rear is bedroom 6 and a bathroom with a roll top freestanding cast iron bath and heated towel rail.

Outbuildings:
To the north of the house a rear gravel drive with grass borders leads to a cobbled yard and paths surrounding a fine E shaped traditional steading dating from the 1800s built of granite with power and light. The former midden has been transformed with the planting of ornamental yew balls and multi- stem cherry trees.
The steading has been fully restored and is divided into a number of areas:

East wing: refurbished games room with heating. There is plumbing in place to convert the games room to a self contained apartment if so desired.

North wing: divided into a workshop with WC and heating; open cart shed; gardener's bothy with wood stove; office with stone floor, built in cupboards, heating and wood burning stove; garage, garden tool shed; storage.

West wing (roadside steading): gym, water system storage, fridge freezer.

Gardens:
A special feature of the property is the garden which was featured in the illustrious Gardens Illustrated magazine (July 2023) and was designed by Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist Jonathan Snow. The immediate landscape surrounding the house has been transformed with the ha ha and extensive dry stone walls reinstated. The gardens have two very distinct looks: the front garden is simple and unadorned and to the rear the garden is colourful and richly planted. The front garden comprises mostly lawn with mature trees and a ha ha allowing uninterrupted views across sloping fields and forestry.
At the rear of the house, adjacent to the outbuildings, is a magnificent semi-circular walled garden extending to about 1 acre, enclosed by an arc of a lime mortar rendered granite wall. Three planting zones are linked by grass paths that lead through rose and clematis-covered arches and past borders with tall plants and clipped hedges. In front of the walled garden is an immaculately maintained tennis court with a hard surface. Overlooking the tennis court is a quirky Deeside Fog Hut with a traditional heather thatched roof.
Beyond the formal garden a track continues to a disused graveyard and woodland with a path meandering through. The woodland is planted with specimen trees and is deer protected, offering wonderful amenity.
Adjacent to the house, there is a sheltered terrace bound by a stone retaining wall and an abundant herbaceous border.

Paddocks:
There are two grass paddocks extending to about 17.5 acres to the north, east and south of the house. New ornamental trees including Cedar of Lebanon, oak and maple have been planted here protected by traditional split chestnut tree guards.