Auchendennan House is an impressive A-listed Baronial castle featuring two turrets, set centrally amidst its 55 acres of beautifully designed landscape of parkland and woods. Located close to the southwest bank of Loch Lomond, it enjoys remarkable views across the loch to the mountains of the national park beyond.

The four-storey sandstone castle is approached from the main road, along a private tarmac drive with speed bumps, lined with trees. Through secure gates fitted with a telephone entry system, the driveway incorporates a carriage turning circle, with an attractive water fountain carved with dolphins and shells.

On arrival, shelter is provided by a striking Porte Cochere with arched coach openings, turrets and a vast array of decorative details.

Entered on basement level, you are welcomed into a grand 20th century vestibule, with oak panelling and a large carved fireplace including cherub and female figurines and inscriptions. Hidden in the panelling one secret door leads to a WC, whilst another leads to an office, various storage rooms, and a two-bedroom staff apartment with bathroom, kitchen and living area. Also on this level is a large reception room with its own garden entrance, currently used as a gym.

A stunning vaulted staircase directs you to the first floor guiding you into the grand hall with coombed ceilings, open gallery above and covered by a pitched glazed roof with carvings and mythological inscriptions. Centred in the hall is a large fireplace complete with further inscriptions. The exceptional interior is impressive with a wealth of craftsmanship from original floors and wallpaper, intricate plasterwork and timber panelling; this level of detail is replicated as you travel through the house.

The grand hall acts as the gateway to some of the most impressive rooms including, the library renowned for its Charles Rennie Mackintosh design, a modest designer kitchen and breakfast room, a corridor leading to a double bedroom, bathroom, utility and conservatory (growing a vast number of plants, together with olive trees, tea trees and grape vines), a ballroom (used as a large office) and an impressive dining room adjoined through internal sliding doors to the drawing room, complete with its own turret.

Accessed from the gallery which overlooks the Grand Hall is a bedroom suite with bathroom and dressing room, four double bedrooms, (two with turrets and one currently used as a large dressing room), a further dressing room, and a bathroom and WC which are mid renovation.

On attic level there are 10 rooms (one featuring a balcony), a bathroom and kitchen. All rooms have been recently renovated to a high standard.

The rear stairway takes you upwards again, to a large tower room, and at the top of the spiral staircase, through a hatch, access is provided to the roof deck which benefits from the expansive views.

The layout and dimensions of the accommodation are shown on the floor plans.

The house is serviced by mains water and electricity, mains drainage, a recently installed and eco-friendly oil central heating system plus auxiliary electric heating, fire alarms and CCTV. There is a diesel generator located externally in a purpose built generator shed, external spot
lighting and an electric vehicle charging point. Furthermore, a number of the bathrooms benefit
from underfloor heating and many of the public rooms and main bedrooms feature wood-burning
stoves with heating fans.

As part of the renovation works the house has been re-plumbed, re-wired and has had plasterboard panelling discretely installed as a
fire safety measure.

Auchendennan House occupies a much sought after and private position, elevated overlooking Loch Lomond and its spectacular backdrop of mountains, including Ben Lomond, the most southern of the Scottish Munros, which peaks at 974 metres (3,196 feet).

Loch Lomond is Great Britain’s largest lake in terms of surface area, and is possibly Scotland’s most famous loch, where the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands meet. Auchendennan House is situated within the boundary of The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Its contrasting landscape provides a wealth of amenity and adventure, including boating, wakeboarding, sailing, mountain biking, kayaking, angling and hill walking.

Nearby, the popular and luxury resort of Cameron House provides further amenity in the form of a spa, the 18-hole Carrick Golf Course and a nine-hole course called The Wee Demon. Martin Wishart fine dining, casual dining, and accommodation are offered at the resort. Also forming part of Cameron House, the Duck Bay Marina, offers berths to accommodate private boats.

The closest villages are Balloch (3 miles to the south) and the conservation village of Luss (5 miles to the north), where Loch Lomond Golf Course is situated.

Balloch sits on the southwest shore of Loch Lomond, is often referred to as the gateway to the national park, and is therefore an important centre for tourism. The village has a railway station with regular direct links to Glasgow, which can alternatively be accessed by road in half an hour.

The town of Helensburgh (5 miles to the east) boasts a further golf course, rail links to Glasgow and a sleeper train service direct to London.

Glasgow airport, only 16 miles away, provides regular domestic and international flights. Furthermore, Glasgow Prestwick Airport, 53 miles south, too offers links to European and International destinations.

History
Auchendennan House was built on the site of an earlier Italianate mansion, which dated back to 1818, and of which no remnants exist. The house was commissioned around 1866 by George Martin, a Glasgow-based East India merchant, and was designed by the well-renowned architect John Burnet from Glasgow. The house was altered in the 1900s by the owner at the time, William Chrystal, a Scottish chemist. The architect was Alexander Nisbet Paterson and the additions include the Porte Cochere of Scottish Renaissance design, and large parts of the interior.

The current vendor purchased Auchendennan in 2013, and has comprehensively and sympathetically restored the castle’s interior to create an extraordinary private home which combines all of the grandeur and detailing of its 19th century heritage with services, systems, fixtures and fittings which provide exceptional comfort and quality of living.

Externally there are adjoining former stables, now used as workshops, and a detached wood shed.

The garden is bound by terrace walls and fences and is mainly laid to lawn with feature specimen trees, and a number of garden ornaments and furniture and a flag pole. There is a wealth of shrubbery and plants which incorporate a collection of beautiful Rhododendrons. Plants within the garden have been intentionally set out so that there is an array of colour year round. Palm trees highlight the warmer climate of the west of Scotland.

Land and Woodland
Supplementary to the garden ground, there are 51 acres of designed landscape, comprising parkland, and amenity woodland.

Garden Wood located to the south of the property acts provides a large amount of privacy, and has an impressive number of specimen trees, including a 130-year-old Monkey Puzzle Tree. A documentary of the trees can be provided on request from the selling agent.

Amongst the woodland the relics of a Japanese garden are situated and include an ornamental pond, foundations of a bridge, stepping stones, paths, a stone bridge and a waterfall.

The parkland is all enclosed within a ring fence boundary encompassing the house. At its highest it sits 40 metres above sea level. It slopes downwards towards the A82 and Loch Lomond. It is classified by the James Hutton Institute as grade 4.1, consisting mainly of brown earths, sand and gravels.

The land is used to graze a small ornamental fold of nine Highland Cattle. The cattle are fed water naturally from a burn which runs along the northern boundary of the property towards Loch Lomond. During the winter months, the cattle are fed silage sourced from a nearby farm.

A small shed used as a livestock shelter is positioned in parkland close to the private drive with adjacent cattle handling facilities and a cattle crush.

Situated in the heart of the pasture is a hillock with a seating area which is sheltered and enclosed by a circular dry stone dyke.

Planning and Development
Although Auchendennan is currently occupied as a private house, there is scope for it to be run as a hotel/wedding venue or for a range of other commercial or quasi-commercial uses, subject to the necessary consents.

In addition, the vendor has proposals to convert the wood shed into a Coach House. The plans incorporate a three-car garage with staff accommodation above comprising an open plan living space, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Planning consent was granted in January 2015, which has now lapsed. The application number is 2014/0283/HAE.

Furthermore, another potential development site has been identified with services close by, within the boundary of Auchendennan House, on the south of the private drive, close to the privately owned properties. No planning consent has been sought or granted for this site. For both sites, services are located close by.