Prestige property: The traditional façade of Brockloch Tower opens up to reveal all mod cons

Known as pele or peel towers, many of the original structures still exist scattered across the Scottish Borders, Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland, the North Riding of Yorkshire and Lancashire, in response to the threat of attack from the English, Scots, and the Border Reivers of both nationalities.

Set over several floors they were fortified and used to house lairds and their families, as well as accommodating nearby villagers and livestock in times of trouble.

Today the examples that survive can serve as mini-castle homes and some are open to the public.

Brockloch Tower, at Carsphairn near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway, however, is an entirely different proposition.

Built to resemble a medieval tower house, it was in fact constructed less than 20 years ago, and although it has both a traditional façade and many beautiful stone and artisan-crafted features inside, it is essentially a modern house, with 21st-Century comforts.

It is one of only an estimated17 “modern castles” built in Scotland in the last 100 years, and while most of these are vast edifices with multi-million-pound price tags, Brockloch has been created on a domestic scale, and has a much more modest asking price of offers over £675,000.

That is not to say that it doesn’t offer the feel of a small country estate. It is set in 26 acres of private land and approached through grand gates and along a private driveway which snakes past acircle of historic standing stones. There is also access to a river and forested areas.

The ruins of the original Brockloch Tower remain close by. While not much is known of its history, it was associated with a branch of the Clan MacMillans of Brockloch, who were the chiefs of a group in Galloway who can be traced back to the 1500s.

Once inside, the accommodation is traditional in that it is laid out over four floors, but it has good-sized rooms – no pokey dungeons or dark servants’ quarters, but rather light, airy spaces. It has been designed to take advantage of far-reaching views of border country.

The layout is very flexible too, and particularly for those wanting space to work from home – there is scope to use two attic rooms.

The tower has a grand entrance hallway with flagstone floors and the ground floor houses a breakfasting kitchen with doors to the patio and garden, a dining room, and a library or family room.

The first floor features a sitting room with a magnificent stone fireplace, and two bedrooms and a bathroom are also on this level.

The principal bedroom suite is up a floor, along with three more bedrooms, plus the the two attic rooms on the top floor.

High ceilings, an ornately carved wooden staircase, and turret alcoves are a feature, but the house is well insulated, double glazed and has a modern heating system, so it is unlikely to share the internal temperature of an original peel tower.

And while life at Brockloch may feel like living in splendid isolation, it is only two miles from the village of Carsphairn, with its shop, tearoom and primary school.

For more information, contact Strutt & Parker on 0131-226 2500.