Prestige property: A townhouse that forms part of a converted Blairgowrie mansion

Many of the grandest estate houses in Scotland have been converted into apartments, where owners can have their pick of the best rooms and enjoy the grounds, and sharing the cost of maintenance of the building and its surroundings.
The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, MeigleThe Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle
The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle

While in most cases it is still not a cheap option, purchasing part of a property like this will give you an exclusive address, and it is an increasingly popular move with downsizers – particularly those moving from grand detached homes.

An apartment in a larger home can mean the room proportions suit your furniture, and provides a degree of security living alongside others. Now Arthurstone House, a fine old mansion located a half-mile north of Ardler in Perth and Kinross, offers the chance to live in a historic home, which has been tastefully divided into properties more suited to modern living.

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The site has a long history. The house was built on an estate which was once the property of the Cistercian Abbey at Coupar Angus, but following the Reformation the property was passed on to one of the five sons of the last abbot at the abbey, Donald Campbell, son of Archibald Campbell, the 2nd Earl of Argyll, who died in 1513.

The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, MeigleThe Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle
The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle

The current Arthurstone House was constructed for abolitionist James Ramsay in the late 1790s. In 1869, it was bought by Peter Carmichael, a partner in the famed Dundee firm Baxter Brothers.

Carmichael remodelled the house and gardens, adding a library and a billiard room. In 1870, a dedicated gas works was built to provide power for the house.

Eventually sold on by the Carmichael family in 1990, Arthurstone House then became the home of Butterstone School, a small independent boarding school for girls.

Then, in 2005, the property changed hands again and was converted into 15 different units, two of which are currently for sale via Rettie and Co.

The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, MeigleThe Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle
The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle

Number 3, The Fingask, is a grand two-bedroomed apartment on the ground floor, but number 6, The Lowes, which has just been launched, is a townhouse offering an intriguing proposition for both downsizers and family buyers.

The house has retained plenty of character, such as the front door of solid timber with the original studs and decorative ironwork.

Inside its accommodation includes a sitting room with astragal doors that open out to a private patio terrace and onwards to shared gardens. The room has a characterful barrel-vaulted ceiling and a wood-burning stove with a decorative carved fireplace, mantle and a black granite hearth.

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The dining-kitchen room has sash windows and another barrel-vaulted ceiling, and is fitted with a central island, a range of AEG appliances and a quarry tiled floor.

The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, MeigleThe Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle
The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle

The master bedroom, which has an ensuite, is dual-aspect, and benefits from fine views over the gardens to the hills beyond.

There are three more bedrooms, with plenty of traditional features, including some fine cornicing. One is currently used as a snug and boasts a pretty fireplace.

The grounds around Arthurstone House are spectacular. The 36 acres of beautifully maintained gardens host a range of specimen trees.

There are banks of rhododendrons and an array of shrubs and bushes, as well as a fountain, and there is plenty space for walking, outdoor activities and picnics.

The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, MeigleThe Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle
The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle

As an added bonus, situated within the grounds are a former curling pond and two tennis courts.

The Lowes, 6 Arthurstone House, Meigle is priced at offers over £350,000.

For more information, contact Rettie & Co. on 0131-624 9032.

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