Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

£270,000 Highland home up for sale… With 3,500-year-old Pictish stone circle in back garden

Stonehenge House near Inverness has a Pictish stone circle in the back garden
Stonehenge House near Inverness has a Pictish stone circle in the back garden

A family home is up for grabs in the highlands – complete with a 3,500-year-old Pictish stone circle in the garden.

The four-bedroom property south of Inverness boasts stunning views from its three storeys, en-suite bathrooms, and a conservatory.

Any buyer of Stonehenge House will have to accept that there’s nothing much they can do with the legally-protected ancient monument that takes up part of the back garden.

And they will also have to prepare for a knock on the door from visitors – some from abroad – who have the right to visit the stone circle.

Stonehenge House near Inverness has a Pictish stone circle in the back garden
Stonehenge House near Inverness has a Pictish stone circle in the back garden

The £275,000 property in Farr, about eight miles south of Inverness, is only about 40 years old.

Remarkably, the original builder got away with enclosing the stone circle, called Croftcroy, within the garden and just 6ft from the kitchen door.

The 30ft-wide stone circle has been dated to the end of the Bronze Age in Scotland.

Opinion is divided about whether it was used by Picts as a burial tomb or a “moon circle”.

Current owners Iain and Margot O’Brien bought Stonehenge House in 1996 but want to downsize.

Interior pictures of Stonehenge House near Inverness which has a Pictish stone circle in the back garden
Interior pictures of Stonehenge House near Inverness which has a Pictish stone circle in the back garden

The 55-year-old former army engineer said: “In the 1970s, the building laws were relaxed so people could build anywhere.

“It’s registered with Archeology Scotland so we have to let people into our garden if they want to view it.”

Visitors don’t even have to make an appointment. And one occasion a “guest” from North America was spotted chanting among the stones, said Iain.

He added: “We’ve had several professors and doctors up here telling us stories. One told us it was a moon circle, he said it’s when the moon lines up every 23 years.

“Other people from the area say an important person was buried here.

“Some of the papers say that it is based on one person and that the burial stones are still there but the roof has gone. ”

Stonehenge House near Inverness has a Pictish stone circle in the back garden
Stonehenge House near Inverness has a Pictish stone circle in the back garden

He added: “We have to look after it but we don’t get any grants or anything.”

“People are fascinated by it. You either love it or hate it. We used to go out on the solstice and have a dram.

“I love it, but my wife absolutely hates it. She wants a proper garden outside the kitchen.”

“It’s been there 3,500 years, it belongs to the country. This was a perfect home for us, we’ve loved it. “