Three of the best luxury Georgian homes on sale for less than £1M

Georgian homes are as much sought-after now as they ever were, so here are three of the best on the market now

Owning a Georgian home can be seen as the ultimate property purchase and British buyers seem to have been in love with them for three centuries.

It is a style which embraces proportion and symmetry with the spaciousness and geometry of the interior mirroring the facade.

At the same time, Georgian homes tend to be built on a human scale, translate well with a few adaptations to modern life and are finished with a quality of materials that ages well.

Because of their popularity, a well-kept Georgian home is seen as a good investment and likely to hold its value, so as long as a owner factors in the cost of upkeep on a historic home, a purchase might be as much a decision made by the head as the heart.

The style is much mirrored, even in modern homes, there has been a recent revival of the simple architecture of the era which spanned the 100 or so years before the Victorian period.

Modern city townhouses in particular take some of their best features from homes that predate them by centuries.

Edinburgh New Town’s Georgian homes are among the most expensive in the country and streets with a regal name tend to be the most sought-after.

Picture: Knight Frank

A budget of £1 million is unlikely, these days, to afford the purchaser a whole house in the best Georgian terraces, but there are good alternatives for those seeking a Georgian home.

Regent Terrace was designed by the famed architect of the New Town, William Playfair and named in honour of the visit of George VI, then regent, in 1822.

A ground and garden conversion at No 19 is currently on the market, and offers the size and space of a large family house.

Picture: Knight Frank

The living space, including a formal drawing room is on the ground floor and steps from the dining kitchen lead down to a private terrace.

Picture: Knight Frank

On the lower floor are four bedrooms, an internal garden, the front courtyard and three cellars under the pavement.

It has a very grand communal entrance and retained features inside include ornate cornicing, sash windows with working shutters and beautiful fireplaces.

Picture: Knight Frank

Moving out of the city, much less than a £1m budget will buy a Georgian country house, set in its own grounds.

These are especially prized as the architects of the era would align the house with the best views and landscape the grounds to make the most of the setting.

Picture: Strutt and Parker

Balbridie House in Aberdeenshire is a pretty extended farmhouse which was part of the Durris estate, but its style and setting with fine trees, a grass tennis court, the March Burn flowing through the grounds and the quality of the farm buildings all suggest a property of some significance in its own right.

Picture: Strutt and Parker

It dates from the late 18th century and while refurbished to make a comfortable modern home, it still has beautiful features and proportions.

Picture: Galbraith

In Ayrshire, Glendoune House, built in 1800, retains its central Georgian symmetry, but a Victorian Italianate wing, added in 1845, has softened the look and makes for a house that spans the centuries.

Picture: Galbraith

Historic Scotland oversaw its restoration and refurbishment in the 1980s, making it fit to face another 100 years at least.

At a glance

Picture: Knight Frank

Where is it: 19 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh.What is it: A ground and garden level conversion of a handsome townhouse in one of the New Town’s best Georgian terraces.Good points: A beautifully proportioned drawing room on the ground floor is alongside a large kitchen with steps down to a garden terrace. Four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a study on the lower level as well as an internal garden, courtyard and cellar storage. Plenty of retained Georgian features such as cornicing and fireplaces.Bad points: Depressing that in the best part of Edinburgh, £1 million will only buy you half a house.Price: Offers over £950,000.Contact: Knight Frank on 0131 222 9600.

Picture: Strutt and Parker

Where is it: Balbridie House, Banchory, Aberdeenshire.What is it: Category C-listed estate house dating from the late 18th century. Extended and refurbished it has six bedrooms, three receptions rooms, gardens and a five-acre paddock.Good points: Still retaining its historic feel as the country home of Georgian gentry.Bad points: It needs a third bathroom, but there’s space.Price: Offers over £800,000.Contact: Strutt & Parker on 01331 826800.

Picture: Galbraith

Where is it: Glendoune House, Girvan, South Ayrshire.What is it: B-listed Georgian mansion with six bedrooms, three public rooms, 11 acres of gardens and grounds and views to the Firth of Clyde and Ailsa Craig.Good points: A grand country home, built in 1800 with beautiful grounds including a walled garden accessed over a bridge.Bad points: Georgian purists may not like the Victorian Italianate wing, but it contains a spectacular dining room and master bedroom with balcony above.Price: Offers over £625,000.Contact: Galbraith on 01292 268181.