The Dining Room at Candacraig

With a price tag of almost £3 million pounds, Scottish comedian Billy Connolly’s Highland baronial home in Aberdeenshire has been listed on the market. The 12-bedroom property in Strathdon is set in 14 acres of grounds, and includes a walled garden and a croquet lawn. Candacraig was originally home to the Anderson family until it was sold in 1866 to Sir Charles Forbes of Newe.

Candacraig House was built in 1579, however the original is quite different from the mansion that stands today. A painting dated from 1760 shows a simple L-shaped building which was incorporated into later constructions. Most of the present house was built in 1835 by noted Aberdeen architect John Smith, who also worked on Balmoral Castle. Candacraig underwent further reconstruction in 1956, following a destructive fire.

Legend has it that the first Laird of Candacraig, Patrick Anderson, acquired the property after discovering silver under a boulder in Glen Carvie in the 1500′s. After changing hands several times after 1866, the house was purchased by Gordon and Anita Roddick, founders of the Bodyshop. They undertook a comprehensive program of improvement before selling it to Billy Connolly and Pamela Stephenson in 1998. Candacraig attracted much media attention as Hollywood celebrities became regular guests including Ewan MacGregor and Robin Williams.

The sales brochure describes the house as “a traditional Scots baronial mansion house built of harled stone under a slate roof with pepper pot turrets and steep pitched roofs”. The brochure continues: “The house has fine reception rooms, including a magnificent timber-panelled drawing room with a highly decorative plaster ceiling and a panelled library beyond. These two rooms and the dining room are to the front of the house and are reached off a long picture gallery. To the rear of the house are a large family kitchen and an office/utility room. A passageway with historic carved timber panelling leads to a billiard room.

Real Estate agent and Clan Chief Jamie Macnab, of Savills, said: “It is absolutely gorgeous, in the most stunning position and money has been lavished on it over the years.” Last year, Connolly started renting out the property as he was spending less and less time there. For £3,950, groups of up to 11 people could hire the house for one night and have a three-course dinner cooked by the resident chef. Connolly is said to be considering splitting his time between his apartment in New York and Brighton.

There are three castles nearby; the ruin of Kildrummy, besieged in 1306 by the army of Edward I; Glenbuchat, stronghold of “Old Glenbucket”, a renowned Jacobite who led a regiment for Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 1745 rebellion; and Corgarff, a restored 16th century tower house. Corgarff has an impressive history, acting as the scene of a notorious massacre, a hideout for bandits, and a munitions store for supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745. Following the rising the it was used as an outpost for soldiers sent to suppress the illegal distilling of whisky.

You can view the impressive real estate brochure by clicking here.

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Scotland’s Greatest?

As part of the Homecoming Scotland celebrations, a poll was held by STV to see who the public believes the greatest ever Scot is. Thousands of people were said to have voted from the list of 35 nominees, with Robert Burns, perhaps aptly, generating the most popularity.

Homecoming Scotland 2009 has Burns as its focus, celebrating the 250th anniversary of his birth, so it is maybe no surprise that the national bard was at the forefront of most peoples minds when it came to this vote.

The list of nominees was split up into six different categories (Arts and Entertainment, Invetors and Entrepreneurs, Leaders and Thinkers, People’s Choice, Scientists and Engineers, and Sport), making sure that Scots from all walks of life were covered.

The top 10 greatest Scots as voted by the public is as follows:

1 ) Robert Burns

2 ) Sir William Wallace

3 ) Sir Alexander Fleming

4 ) Jock Stein

5 ) David Tennant

6 ) Robert the Bruce

7 ) Andrew Carnegie

8 ) Sir William Alexander Smith

9 ) Billy Connolly

10 ) Alex Harvey

However, for many, not only the actual outcome of the top-10 is considered as controversial, but also of the list of nominees, and some of the notable Scots omitted from it, such as nurse Mary Seacole, medical missionary Dr. David Livingstone as well as missonary Mary Slessor, leader of the Protestant Reformation John Knox, and even writer Sir Walter Scott.

What do you think?

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