One of Orkney's Finest Country Houses
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One Of Orkney’s finest cOuntry hOuses roeberry house, south ronaldsay, orkney, kw17 2tw One Of Orkney’s finest cOuntry hOuses roeberry house, south ronaldsay, orkney, kw17 2tw u Vestibule, hall, conservatory, drawing room, dining room, study, sitting room, library, snug, cloakroom, kitchen, laundry, stores, master bedroom with en suite, 4 further bedrooms, 1 en suite, bathroom, upstairs family drawing room u Annexe, kitchen, WC, 2 bedrooms both en suite, storeroom u Useful outbuildings: 2 garages, hay store, stable, loose box, studio, workshop, store, garden store, coach house loft, greenhouse u Walled garden, 4 acres enclosing whole property within high stone walls EPC Rating = E Distances St. Margaret’s Hope – 1 ½ miles Kirkwall – 15 miles Kirkwall Airport – 16 miles Inverness – 45 minutes by air Edinburgh/Glasgow – 1 ½ hours by air Directions From Kirkwall Airport head southeast on the A960 for 3¼ miles, then turn right onto the B9052 heading southwest in the direction of St Marys. After a further 3½ miles turn right onto the A961 in the direction of St Margaret’s Hope and cross over the Churchill barriers until reaching the village of St Margaret’s Hope. In the village turn right onto the B9043 signed to Hoxa Head. Roeberry appears on your right, 1½ miles beyond the village. Location Orkney has developed its own culture as a result of its long history, ties with Scandinavia and its location off the north coast of Scotland. People are drawn to the islands by the beautiful scenery and remoteness. Now a popular tourist destination, visitors come for a host of different reasons, from the Neolithic archaeology, the rich Viking heritage and wartime history as well as the array of wildlife including seals, whales and a wide variety of birdlife. Despite the apparent remoteness of the Orkney islands they are now remarkably accessible with regular flights from Kirkwall Airport to Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen and onward to the rest of the UK and the Continent. There are three car ferries with regular sailings from Aberdeen, Scrabster and Gills Bay. The residents of the Orkney Isles are blessed with a full and excellent range of facilities. Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney, has a hospital, an excellent secondary school recently installed in new buildings, a useful range of shops and other services including banks, a modern library, three supermarkets and an excellent modern leisure centre with a 25 metre swimming pool, gym and spa. The village of St Margaret’s Hope has a small primary school, also in new buildings, a doctor’s surgery and village shop. History Roeberry House was built in 1861 by William Henry Gray (b1821), a prosperous cotton merchant recently returned from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He was the second son of Malcolm Gray of Roeberry Farm and had had to return home when he unexpectedly inherited the farm upon the death of his father and loss of his older brother at sea. William decided to build a fine new house for the family and selected the site himself across from the family farm. He was an efficient organiser and the house went up quickly. He noted in his diary in November that the chimneys had withstood a strong gale without harm. Although he was engaged in Orkney, he never married and lived in the completed house with his mother. The architectural style was influenced by David Pryce who was a well known Scottish Victorian architect designing many impressive castles, mansions and public buildings all over Scotland in the second half of the 19th century. Particular to Roeberry was the focus on masonry as William Henry Gray was a known mason. The house was used as a Lodge, hence the symbols of the world’s religions on the roof as well as the black and white chequered floor painting in the pool room. In 1939 at the beginning of WWII when Scapa Flow was once again a naval base for the British High Seas Fleet, Roeberry was requisitioned by the army and the family was given a week to pack up and leave. During the war the house was part of the Navy HQ, officers’ quarters and then an army detention centre, and numerous huts were built around the spacious gardens. All these structures were removed after the war, yet some lawns show evidence of the hut foundations. Margaret Gray inherited the house from her parents in 1918; she later married and returned to Roeberry after the war was over. Her son Malcolm Dennison had a very successful military career and became the military advisor to the Sultan of Oman. When he retired he returned to Roeberry and undertook a thorough restoration of the house. In acknowledgement of his services, Malcolm was made Lord Lieutenant of Orkney by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who herself as well as members of her family have a strong affiliation for Scotland and who A particularly impressive feature of Roeberry is the high drystone wall which encloses the property and its 4 acres of gardens and grounds, creating its own sheltered micro-climate. Here there is a 150 year old wood, extensive lawns and two secret gardens, one containing a small pond. The house is built of local stone which has been harled under a slate roof. It is handsomely proportioned with fine crow-stepped gables, large sash windows, panelled doors, tiled and wooden floors and some particularly fine cornicing. The principal reception rooms and bedrooms all have high ceilings and bright windows from which to take in the breathtaking sea views. As was typical of the Victorian era, the house is solidly built and has been well maintained. The accommodation is arranged over two storeys and is well laid out for flexible family living or as a bed and breakfast establishment. Many of the original period features have been retained, such as the ornate cornice work, four panelled doors, ceiling roses and some of the open fireplaces. The accommodation benefits from double and secondary glazing to most of the windows and a combination of oil fired central heating, night storage heaters and a solid fuel stove in the upstairs drawing room. Accommodation The ground floor reception rooms are accessed from the impressive main hall which has a beautiful stone staircase with iron banister and mahogany handrail. The reception rooms include a large drawing room with a bay window overlooking the Pentland Firth; a study with built in bookshelves; separate dining room; further small sitting room (pool room) and a library with book shelving and glazing to the north and west, and fine views over Scapa Flow. Also accessed from the main hallway is a refurbished cloakroom with WC and wash hand basin; a snug sitting room with open fireplace and, accessed from the entrance vestibule, a modern double glazed conservatory from which to enjoy the fine sea views. In the east wing of the house there is a fitted kitchen with a Stanley cooker which provides hot water for the downstairs accommodation, an eight ring gas hob (from propane bottled gas), a further en suite bedroom, laundry room and boot room. have visited Roeberry. The extension wing was added for a privately On the first floor from a large landing there is a master bedroom suite, announced visit of Princess Anne. three further double bedrooms and a family bathroom. In addition On Malcolm’s death Roeberry passed to his younger brother John and there is a family drawing room / fifth bedroom with multi fuel stove and was sold out of the family at the turn of the century. bay window from which to take advantage of the panoramic sea views from first floor level. From the rear hallway in the east wing a further Description staircase leads to a self contained flat on the first floor comprising the Roeberry House stands in a commanding position with views of the following accommodation: modern fitted kitchen, WC, two en suite sea on three sides, to the south across the Pentland Firth to Dunnet bedrooms and a store room. A Ramsay ladder from the store room Head, the most northerly part of the Scottish mainland and the hills of leads to a floored loft space. Floor plans are incorporated within these Caithness and Sutherland which are clearly visible on a clear day. To particulars. the north and west the house overlooks Scapa Flow to the island of Outside Hoy and mainland Orkney. The 4 acres of gardens and grounds surrounding the house are contained within a high drystone wall which provides shelter and privacy. Adjacent to the public road, stone pillars with iron double gates open onto a tarmac drive which leads up to the house with Local Authority the drive splitting in front of the house, to the north to the garage Orkney Island Council accommodation and to the south to a parking area by the front and School Place - Kirkwall, KW15 1NY – 01856 873535 There is a privately owned airstrip at Lamb Holm Island (8.5 miles), back doors. The gardens are mainly laid out to lawn with an area of which will accept private light aircraft by prior arrangement. woodland with ancient sycamore trees carpeted below with bulbs Council Tax Band - G giving an impressive display of bluebells in May. The gardens contain an established mixture of plantings with hedges, fuchsias and a good Home Report & Energy Performance stock of plants in herbaceous borders. There is a walled former rose A copy of the full Home Report and Energy Performance Certificate is garden containing a small pond and kitchen garden joined by stone available on request. archways. Servitude rights, burdens and wayleaves There is a generous provision of outbuildings which comprise the The property is sold subject to and with the benefit of all servitude