Scottish castle on the market for £1.25m after £230 debt battle ends | Scotland
A baronial castle that has been at the center of a 25-year legal battle over a £230 debt has come on the market for more than £1.25million.
Knockderry on Scotland’s west coast was designed by architect Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson and is A-listed, largely due to its ornate and richly paneled Leiperian interior, which is considered one of the finest examples of the style in Scotland. in the country.
The former owner of the Victorian mansion near the village of Cove, Dunbartonshire, was 72-year-old Marian van Overwaele, who went bankrupt in 2000 after repeatedly refusing to pay a bill relating to a clothing business bride she ruled in the 1990s.
His repeated refusals to pay caused the debt to soar to £30,000, by which time a trustee in bankruptcy was appointed to take control of his assets, and Van Overwaele fought off attempts to evict him so the mansion could be sold to pay its creditors.
After going bankrupt, Van Overwaele transferred ownership of Knockderry to his brother, George Amil, and continued to live there with him and his family. But last summer their legal battle ended in the Court of Session, Scotland’s highest court, when their petition against a decree ordering them to vacate the property was dismissed, and they were evicted in March.
The mansion, built in the 1850s and located above Loch Long, is being marketed for offers in excess of £1.25million by estate agents Strutt & Parker and Shepherd Surveyors.
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With six bedrooms, four reception rooms and a host of original features including turrets, stone balustrades and a minstrel gallery, potential buyers have been warned that the property requires “upgrading and renovation important”.
A sales brochure for the property reads: ‘The property is an A-listed baronial castle built in the mid-19th century for James Templeton, a textile manufacturer, and designed by the famous architect Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson, with later modifications and additions, by John Honeyman and William Leiper.
“Knockderry Castle is Grade A listed largely because of Leiperian’s outstanding interior, considered one of the finest domestic interiors of its style in Scotland. The property benefits from a host of original features, including crow’s step gables, turrets, stone balustrades and an extraordinary paneled drawing room, which includes a minstrel’s gallery and other features including original fireplaces. period, paneling and stained glass.