A handsome B listed grand mansion house in distinctive Tudor Gothic style completed in hewn honey coloured stone and set in some 15 acres parkland grounds.
Description
Tour House is a handsome Tudor Gothic style mansion house completed in hewn honey coloured stone. The house is protected by a category B listing. The Tour estate was split up in the 1970s, the separation creating a total of 4 owners, Tour House, Stables Cottage, Gardeners Cottage and The Gate Lodge. All 4 properties have a servitude right of access to their properties via the rear northern gate, and Tour House retains ownership and exclusive access via the southern gate.
Tour House is the original central grand mansion house of the Tour estate and over recent years it has undergone a significant amount of refurbishment and improvement, together with a rolling programme of professional maintenance. As well as the works mentioned above, Tour House was re-roofed in 2009 and at the same time a new orangery was added to the eastern elevation.
Internally, the house is well finished with complementary Farrow & Ball and Fired Earth colour tones, which team well with period features and contemporary kitchen and bathroom ware.
Given its B listed protected status, Tour House has seen the sensitive preservation of many period features including detailed plasterwork and cornicing, gothic doorways and arches, vaulted ceilings with impressive rooflights, cupolas and lanterns, all set above impressive galleried landings. Externally there is symmetrical architecture to the front elevation which includes fluted octagonal central and corner turrets, projecting ashlar bands at roofline and half height as well as smooth ashlar detail at window heads and the main entrance.
Tour house is set in formal and parkland grounds which extend to about 15 acres. There are formal gardens around the immediate house, blending to parkland grounds which are fringed and sheltered by mature trees.
The parkland grounds, together with the all-weather manege, lend themselves well towards equine pursuits.
Ground Floor
Twin leaf outer storm doors to tiled floor entrance vestibule, twin leaf glazed doors and side screens to broad entrance reception hallway with substantial smooth Tuscan columns, drawing room with oak block parquet flooring with detailed inlay, communicating door to formal dining room, open fireplace with tiled hearth and slips, sitting room with open fire with tiled slips and hearth, formal dining room with painted stone fireplace, oak block parquet flooring with inlay detail, silver store. Inner hallway with grand period stone staircase with intricate cast iron spindles to galleried upper hallway, morning room with tiled fireplace and hearth, twin leaf glazed doors to Mozolowski & Murray Orangery with hardwood floor and twin leaf doors to gardens. East rear hall to general purpose store, boiler and cloaks room, separate wc. West rear hall with lift access to first floor, shelved crockery store, utility room with Belfast sink, ceiling pulley and gas boiler (1), Edinburgh press, decorative fireplace with cast iron grate, boots and outerwear room, rear vestibule to courtyard, comfortable winter TV den with general purpose store off, wc, generously proportioned kitchen by Porcelanosa with large corian island, hardwood flooring, space for informal dining/breakfasting table and chairs, door to front courtyard and gardens.
First Floor
Galleried upper hallway with impressive large cupola roof lantern, shower room with door to clock mechanism, shelved linen stores, dressing room, bedroom 1 with bay window formation, inner hallway with second oval roof lantern cupola, bedroom 2 with Edinburgh press and electrical switchgear, bedroom 3 with 2 x Edinburgh presses, fully tiled shower and bathroom with his and hers wash hand basins and contemporary free standing bath, master suite 4 of traditional fitted wardrobes, en suite bath and shower room with his and hers wash hand basins, French free standing bath, decorative fireplace, bedroom 5 (former nursery) with Edinburgh press and connecting master suite door. Bedroom 6 with en suite shower room. Lift at first floor level.
Outbuildings
Former cart shed fronted by twin leaf vented doors to general purpose stores, open fronted pend, former stables providing log stores, twin leaf doors to garage with flag floor and inspection pit, solid fuel and log stores, boiler house with new boilers 2 & 3. Glass fronted summer house.
Manege
Premium equine rubber surfaced all weather manege.
Gardens
The southern drive features original stone gate piers and bell mouth entry gates and leads to a formal tree lined access driveway. A secondary driveway is at the rear and is to black asphalt surface and leads via The Gate Lodge, entrance to Stables Cottage and Garden Cottage to the rear, arched entrance to the enclosed rear courtyard of Tour House. The driveway continues to a black gravel apron at the front where there is good room for guest vehicle turning and hardstanding. Tour House is fringed with well-tended formal lawns, themselves fringed with iron fences and mature semi ancient native tree canopies of sycamore, beech, birch and horse chestnut. To the eastern side of the house there are further formal gardens to lawns with raised and well stocked alpine beds, overplanted with mixed shrubbery including pieris, laurels and acer, as well as an ornamental pond. A gate leads to the former walled garden which is now overgrown. To the southern side of Tour House there is an amenity woodland strip which provides good shelter, privacy and seclusion. Within the woodland strip is a bridal path and pleasant woodland walkway.
Historical Note
It is believed that the Abbot of Kelso granted parts of the lands of Tour to David Cunninghame of Roberton in 1532. The property remained in the ownership of the Cunninghame family and their descendants until 1841 when a successful Glasgow merchant called Robert Parker Adam purchased the lands and rebuilt the mansion house in the tudor gothic style. The architect was believed to be William Burn who designed Blairquhan Castle and other notable buildings throughout Scotland.
Services
Mains water supply, drainage by private septic tank, mains gas supply, triple boiler gas central heating.
Note: The services have not been checked by the selling agents.
Council Tax
Tour House is in council tax band H and the amount of council tax payable for 2023/2024 is £4,109.17 including water.
EPC
EPC rating E.
Situation
Tour House is situated on the fringe of the pretty rural village of Kilmaurs in the heart of rural East Ayrshire. Tour House enjoys a private location amid parkland type grounds, the privacy of which is further enhanced by a mature strips of semi ancient native amenity woodlands.
Kilmaurs is about 2 miles from the larger Ayrshire town of Kilmarnock.
Kilmaurs village has a local primary school with secondary schooling in the nearby village of Stewarton. The nearest independent schooling is at Ayr (Wellington School) and the southside of Glasgow has a number of reputable independent schools.
The village also has good local shops and services that easily cater for everyday needs and requirements. Kilmarnock has a fuller range of services as well as a number of the main supermarkets. There is also a cinema, and an ice rink. Ayr and Glasgow are also within easy reach, both offering a full range of professional and retail services.
While Tour House is in a peaceful rural situation, its situation remains highly accessible with the M77 on/off spur about 3 miles to the east which provides easy access to Ayr, Prestwick Airport and Glasgow city. There are mainline railway stations at Kilmaurs and Kilmarnock. International airports at Prestwick and Glasgow are 11 miles and 20 miles away respectively. The ferry terminals at Troon (9.5 miles) and Cairnryan (61 miles) provide access
to Ireland.
Ayrshire is renowned worldwide for golf with the regular open championship venues of Royal Troon and Turnberry within easy reach. Prestwick golf club, home of the Open is on the coast at Prestwick. Closer at hand, a course has been established at Rowallan Castle, designed by Colin Montgomerie.
Along with agriculture and golf, Ayrshire is known for its excellent salmon fishing on the rivers Ayr, Doon, Girvan and Stinchar, all of which are within reasonable drive time.
For those keen on horse racing, Ayr Racecourse, home of the Scottish Grand
National, is about 15 miles away.
Inland sailing is available on Castle Semple Loch, and the nearby Firth of Clyde offers some of the most scenic coastal sailing in Europe. There are numerous marinas with
associated chandlery services at Troon, Ardrossan and Largs.
Sea fishing sport is available all along the Ayrshire coastline.
Travel Directions
From Glasgow city centre, proceed in a southerly direction on the M8, leaving at junction 22 on the M77. Proceed south on the M77 for 14.8 miles then exit the M77 at junction 7 signposted Kilmaurs. Turn right and proceed underneath the motorway then immediate left onto the B751 following signs Kilmaurs. Continue for 3.9 miles to reach the centre of Kilmaurs. Turn left onto the main street and then take the first exit at the mini roundabout on to the A735 signposted Kilmarnock & Crosshouse. Continue on the A735 for 0.7 miles to find the bell mouth, main front entrance and stone gate piers which lead to the tree lined access avenue entrance of Tour House. Proceed along the treelined driveway to find Tour House where the driveway terminates at the front of the house.
