From outside, Bankhead Farmhouse in the hamlet of Fairfield, close to the pretty coastal village of Portmahomack, may look like a nice run of the mill older-style farmhouse. But step inside and you’ll discover that it is stylish, with a distinctive Highland look that may seem rather familiar.
That’s because the house belongs to Lachie and Annie Stewart, who run the hugely popular business Anta, a company which has been putting a modern spin on Scottish interior design and architecture for more than quarter of a century. Their main home, Ballone Castle, which they bought as a ruin in 1990 and lovingly restored, is nearby.
Bankhead Farmhouse is a detached, large three-bedroomed house, which after decorating it and dressing it in Anta style, they have used for a variety of purposes including holiday lets, long-term lets and as a showhome to let selected customers see how their products look in a real-home setting.
“I understand the farmhouse was originally one of several small holdings which were allocated to those who had served during the war and was lived in by the same family until some six years ago,” said Lachie, who celebrated his 60th birthday earlier this year.
“It’s quite well known story that when my wife and I were students we said we’d live in a castle one day. I’d stayed near here as a youngster and remembered seeing Ballone Castle so when we saw it again we fell in love with it and the idea of restoring it.”
The castle came with about 12 acres of land and various buildings including the farmhouse.
“It’s a good solid house so we haven’t had to make an awful lot of changes, but have put in new floors, doors and polished slate worktops in the kitchen,” said Lachie modestly.
Anta is known for its innovative use of natural materials, colour and high quality fabrics which reflect the surrounding environment and enhance the style and character of houses with which they work. As a result the farmhouse has a beautiful interior in keeping with its rural setting with attention to detail. A lovely kitchen with large oil-fired Stanley range runs the heating. Stylish units have been teamed with the aforementioned gleaming worktops.
The main entrance to the house is from the parking area where a side door opens to the large rear corridor from where there are doors to a boot/utility room, bathroom, double garage and kitchen. This portion of the house also lends itself to the creation of an annexe by converting the garage to bedroom and living accommodation.
The kitchen is bright and spacious with ample room for a dining table. From here a door leads to an enormous family room. “We used to play table tennis here,” said Lachie. It’s certainly large enough for a ping pong or snooker table, but would work equally well if used as a formal dining room, or lounge. It also has access to a side sun porch. Back in the kitchen and a door leads into the cosy sitting room which has walls lined in Anta’s Edzell tartan fabric. “This is based on a Tweed and really effective at keeping draughts out and rooms warm,” said Lachie.
The sitting room in turn leads into the hall which has a small but tasteful cloakroom and a large double bedroom decorated with subtly coloured Anta fabrics. From the hall there’s access to a large and bright conservatory, thought to have been added to the house in the 1980s which enjoys nice garden views.
On the first floor are two further nicely decorated double bedrooms, one of which features St Kilda carpeting on the walls. “It’s a nice feature and does away with the need for a headboard,” said Lachie, while the other features Loch Doon worsted wool fabric. This floor also has a shower room with a double sized walk-in shower lined with the firm’s Skye Thistle tiles.
The grounds at Bankhead Farmhouse, which is on the market at offers over £220,000, extend to approximately 0.21 acres. The gardens to the front are mainly lawn surrounded by flower beds and sheltered by a sturdy wall. A trellised archway leads to the side garden, which is again surrounded by a wall, and with a main lawn fringed by a mix of shrubs and perennials, under planted with spring flowering bulbs.
Here there is also a kitchen garden, fruit cage and covered walkway. A door in the wall opens to the back lawn, while a path leads around the house to flagged patios providing sheltered sitting areas. Within the grounds is an oil tank, timber shed and a summer house.
“It is a super house and ideally we’d love to see a family moving in especially as there’s an excellent primary school in Portmahomack. From the house it’s just a short walk to the beach and the famous Tarbat Ness lighthouse, while the village has all the amenities you need,” said Lachie. “We would have been happy to hang on to it but Anta is expanding and needs more space so the sale of the farmhouse will go towards the building of a bigger local factory.”
Bankhead Farmhouse, which is now available for viewing unfurnished, is on the Tarbat peninsula, a promontory lying to the north of Inverness between the Dornoch and Cromarty Firths. The nearby village of Portmahomack, with its sandy bay and views to Sutherland, has a post office, shop, fish restaurant, hotels and highly-regarded golf course, while nearby Tain has an excellent range of shops and amenities including primary and secondary schooling.
Contact: CKD Galbraith on 01463 224343.
