Downton Abbey hits the big screens next month when the movie version of the hugely popular drama is released on September 13.
That will, undoubtedly, spark a demand for afternoon teas, fine dining, tables set with white cloths and gleaming glasses and create a desire to own a traditional property dripping in historic features and with plenty of room to entertain guests.
Foyers Bay Country House, in the hamlet of Lower Foyer on the shores of Loch Ness, fits that bill perfectly.
This grand eight-bedroom detached country house was built in 1890 when Queen Victoria reigned supreme, and over the years it has been sympathetically upgraded and extended.
The current owners offer bed and breakfast, and have their own private living accommodation, but should you want to keep it all to yourselves, then it wouldn’t take much to switch things around and turn it into a superb, large family home once more.
On the market with a guide price of £490,000, the new buyer will be getting an awful lot of house for their money.
The accommodation includes a large vestibule with two WCs.
The main hallway gives access to the main lounge and an inner hall and bedroom, and features a grand staircase leading to the upper floor.
The sitting room is a spacious and light room with a stone fireplace and hearth housing a multi-fuel stove, while a large bay and side window offer stunning views of Loch Ness.
The kitchen has a range of oak units and two gas hobs, two electric hobs, an electric barbecue, Bosch dishwasher, integral electric oven and Beko fridge, all of which are included in the asking price.
There’s a second large lounge overlooking the front garden which could also be used as a formal dining room or party room and has a small bar in the corner.
Adjacent to this is the large and sunny, fully glazed conservatory which doubles up as a restaurant/dining area.
It has patio doors leading to the garden and comes complete with its own small kitchen area, which makes it ideal for entertaining.
The ground floor also has two useful utility areas, a rear porch and two bedrooms – one of which has en suite facilities and the other has its own external door which opens out on to a sun terrace.
Moving upstairs, bedrooms one and two have en suite shower rooms and doors leading to a lovely balcony overlooking the gardens and loch.
Three further bedrooms, all with en suites, enjoy garden views.
At this point, a door leads to the rear hall and bedroom number six.
This would make an ideal family room as it has an en suite shower room, while a door leads to another room which could be used as a bedroom for children or a large private dressing area.
This hallway leads back to the rear staircase and the rear entrance porch.
The house sits in mature gardens extending to around one acre. These are buzzing with birds and wildlife – deer, pine martens and pheasants being regular visitors.
There’s a driveway which has a separate exit to the rear if required, and parking space for several vehicles.
To the rear of the house there’s a stone byre and an enclosed patio area, which is ideal for pets.
Contact: Bell Ingram on 01463 717799.
