Billy Connolly’s £2.75m baronial Scots home sold

Candacraig House has been sold for nearly 3 million pounds

The comedian and his wife, Pamela Stephenson, have parted with Candacraig House, the baronial home in Aberdeenshire they bought in 1998.

Connolly, commonly known as the Big Yin, used the property as a Highland retreat and often hosted famous guests there including Robin Williams, Steve Martin and Ewan McGregor.

The 12-bedroom property in Strathdon is set in 14 acres of grounds and includes a walled garden and a croquet lawn.

Billy Connolly has sold his baronial Scottish mansion, Candacraig House, for nearly 3 million pounds. Picture: Contributed

The 17th-century house and surrounding estate was put up for sale last September and advertised by estate agents Savills for offers over £2.75 million.

A buyer has now been found and a sale was concluded last month. The new owner wishes to remain anonymous.

A source said: “The sale went through in the last couple of weeks and the new owner is delighted.

“It is a wrench for the Connollys to let go of the property but they are now permanently based in New York and have been spending less and less time there.

“Billy and Pamela has often said that he is at his happiest when he is there.

“It is sad for them but they are content it is going to good hands.”

Interior pictures of the property showed rooms decorated in an exuberant though traditional Scottish style.

The extensive dining room, which can seat 16 on red tartan draped chairs, has green tartan walls on which an array of stags’ antlers hang.

The bedrooms also have a tartan theme and boast four-poster beds with fabric curtains and traditional oak furniture.

The entrance hall has exposed stone walls, a winding staircase and chandeliers.

In 2012 the celebrity couple started renting out the property as they were spending less and less time there.

For £3,950, groups of up to 11 people could hire the house for one night and have a three-course dinner cooked by the resident chef.

In the sales brochure the house was described as “a traditional Scots baronial mansion house built of harled stone under a slate roof with pepper pot turrets and steep pitched roofs.”

The sale of the estate included the main house and four cottages situated on the grounds.

Connolly, 71, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease last year, bought Candacraig House from Body Shop founder Anita Roddick for £590,000 16 years ago.

He then spent an additional £500,000 buying up the neighbouring properties in order to ensure greater privacy.

At the time it went on sale last year, Jamie Macnab, of Savills, said: “It is absolutely gorgeous, in the most stunning position and money has been lavished on it over the years.”

Savills today confirmed that the property was no longer available but declined to comment further.

Connolly now spends most of his time at his apartment in New York but recently said he was considering moving to the south coast of England.

He said: “I’ve been a moving target for a long, long time. It suits me lovely, but recently I’ve been thinking about moving back to Britain.

“I don’t know why but it’s been calling on me. I just feel this tug, it keeps coming into my mind. I thought about Brighton a lot.”

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