A detached ‘Fairy Tale Baronial’ period house with development potential coach house ruin, all set in beautifully stocked private grounds in a pleasant coastal location on the Isle of Bute.


Description
Ascog Hall is a wonderful category ‘B’ listed
detached coastal home in distinctive ‘Fairy
Tale Scots Baronial’ style. The house dates
from about 1844 and is an absolute
architectural delight. Ascog Hall is set in
grounds extending to about 3 acres and which
include the wonderful and somewhat
therapeutic Victorian glass canopy covered
Fernery. Ascog Hall has wonderful period
features, externally there are towers with fish
tail slated turrets and leaded crests and finials.
Dressed stone includes ashlar bay windows
with balustraded parapets, gun loops, ashlar
bracketed balcony and corbelled oriel window
formations.

Internally, there is a distinctive curved timber
outer door, original flagstone flooring,
stencilled, panelled vestibule ceiling, original
fireplaces, ornate plaster work with egg and
dart frieze detailing, period stone staircase with
wood turned banister and iron spindles.

Ground Floor
Distinctive curved outer door to turreted
entrance vestibule, bevel glass door to
entrance reception hall with marble fireplace
and stencilled ceiling with crests and plaques,
drawing room with dual aspect bay windows
and white marble fireplace with a raised slate
hearth and working open fireplace. Sitting room
with intricately carved stone fireplace, dining
room with bay window wall friezes and
fireplace with tiled slips. Inner hallway to under
stairs cloakroom, wc, tiled floor rear hallway
leading to boots and outer wear area, door to
rear vestibule with subsequent door to rear
gardens. General purpose store room. Large
and fitted utilities room, well equipped kitchen
with warming stove set in range space, good
space for breakfasting tables and chairs, rear
hall and boiler room.

First Floor
Period stone staircase with stained glass
window at half landing, full landing with 2 deep
linen stores. Bedroom 1 at rear with dual
aspect, bathroom with French rolltop bath and
claw feet, fitted stores, home
office/hobbies/craft room with return stair to
lower hall, bedroom 2 with white fireplace and
tiled slips, walk in store off with potential for en
suite creation, bedroom 3, bedroom 4 (master)
a dual aspect room with central arch, shower
room and wc, turret storeroom.

Second Floor
Turret staircase to second floor level upper
hallway, bedroom 5 with dual aspect and white
fireplace with tiled slips, feature turret porthole
gun window.

Outbuildings
Timber clad, box profile steel roof garage with
concrete floor, work benches, light and power,
good space for workshop, equipment and
machinery stores. Well vented woodshed.
Aluminium framed greenhouse. Sub floor
general purpose store at rear of building.

Fernery
Victorian style greenhouse covering award
winning and reputable subterranean Fernery.

Courtyard
Courtyard ruins, at one time the coach houses
and stables to Ascog Hall. Red sandstone arch
and outer walls, cobbled central courtyard,
independent access from Balmory Road at the
southern side. Lapsed planning permission for
the creation of 2 further residential dwellings.

Gardens & Grounds
Extensive gardens containing areas of lawn
with specimen trees, wild flowers, varied
woodland, attractive shrub borders and several
water features. Within the garden is an
attractive Victorian underground fernery.


Situation
Ascog Hall is tucked away privately in mature
gardens in a pretty coastal location in Ascog on
the East coast of the attractive and popular
west of Scotland Isle of Bute.
Rothesay, which is 3 miles to the north west,
has thriving shopping, leisure and educational
facilities including a larger sized Co-op.
Caledonian MacBrayne operates a frequent
ferry service to Wemyss Bay, which has direct
rail links to Glasgow. A second ferry service
runs between Rhubodach on the north of Bute
to Colintraive giving access to Argyll and the
West Highlands.
The two nearest airports are Glasgow and
Prestwick, which are approximately 40 and 50
minutes drive from Wemyss Bay.

Leisure
Rothesay has an 18-hole golf course, enjoying
outstanding views of the Firth of Clyde and
Arran. Smaller courses are at Port Bannatyne
and Kingarth. Bute is an area of significant
natural beauty and mild climate, with many
opportunities for coastal and hill walking and
mountain biking. Fresh water and sea fishing
are available, and there are shooting and
stalking opportunities. The island has its own
grass airstrip for light aircraft and microlights.

Sailing
The area is notable for its sailing on the
famous Kyles of Bute, which is a National
Scenic Area. Tighnabruaich and Colintraive to
the north, and the Crinan Canal and Tarbert to
the West, are centres of lively sailing activity
throughout the season. There are marinas and
sheltered moorings in Rothesay and Port
Bannatyne.

Historical Note
In the book ‘The Buildings of Scotland, Argyll &
Bute by Frank Arneil Walker, an extract quotes
‘’Ascog Hall is fairy-tale Baronial, harled with
fish scale slated angle turrets. Begun c.1844
and believed to be designed by Scottish
architect James Smith, it was altered for
Alexander Bannatyne Stewart by John
Honeyman in 1862. During the 1870s, Edward
La Trobe Bateman landscaped the garden, and
it was probably he who created the kidney plan
Fernery, a glass roofed grotto full of luxuriant
growth (restored 1995-96)’’. It is reputed that
one of the ferns from the original collection
remains: a todea barbara, or King Fern. This
was an amazing find due to the fern’s great
antiquity, a Gardeners’ Chronicle article of
1879 had already dated this specimen to be
more than 1000 years old.

Ascog Hall is an RHS partner garden.

Local Authorities
Argyll and Bute Council
Tel: 0843 1162344.

Services
Mains water supply, drainage is by private
septic tank, mains gas, mains gas fired
central heating, (new twin boilers 2014) l
heating, two re-flued fireplaces (kitchen and
living room), 1gb fibre broadband.
Note: The services have not been checked by
the selling agents.

Council Tax
Ascog Hall is in Band G and the amount of
council tax payable for 2021/2022 is £3032.62.

Viewing
Strictly by appointment with Robb Residential,
telephone 0141 225 3880.

Possession
Vacant possession will be given on completion.

Offers
Offers are to be submitted in Scottish legal
terms to the selling agents Robb Residential,
150 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5NE. A
closing date for offers may be fixed
and prospective purchasers are advised to
register their interest with the selling agents in
order to be kept fully informed of any closing
date that may be fixed.

Fixtures and fittings
All items normally known as tenant’s fixtures
and fittings, including garden ornaments and
statuary, are specifically excluded from the
sale. However, certain items, including
furniture may be available to a purchaser in
addition, by separate negotiation.

Travel Directions
From Glasgow, travel west on the M8 to
Greenock, and then continue on the A78 to
Wemyss Bay. Take the Caledonian
MacBrayne ferry to Rothesay (35 minutes). On
arrival at Rothesay, turn left, and follow the
A844 along the coast for 3 miles. The entrance
to Ascog hall is just prior to the corner junction
of Balmory Road.