This converted church is situated in a superb rural location appr. 5 miles east of Elgin close to both, the Grampian Highlands and the white sandy beaches and dunes of the Moray Firth. The location is ½ mile from the village of Urquhart and presents open, uninterrupted views to the surrounding countryside. The property occupies garden grounds extending to 2 acres or thereby.

 

Elgin offers a wide range of services to include: -schools and college; big variety of shops and supermarkets; professional services; hotels and restaurants; cinema and leisure centre with pool, ice rink, gym, spa, sauna and has travel links to Inverness and Aberdeen which in turn offer major travel connections throughout the UK and abroad. The leisure facilities available are extensive and include: -coastal and forest walks; the unique Malt-Whisky-Trail and Stone-Circle-Trail; golf on some excellent links and inland courses (Lossiemouth’s World-Championship-Course just around the corner); fresh and sea fishing opportunities; boating and sailing; hill walking and mountaineering; ornithology, equestrian events; and skiing on the Lecht and in the Cairngorms National Park.

 

An excellent living trading environment in an area that is renowned for an unusually dry and sunny climate!

The church dates back to 1843 and is a B-listed building. It is built in the perpendicular style of James Gillespie Graham and the character has been retained wherever possible.

 

A personal viewing would be necessary to fully appreciate the contents which include:

- the corniced ceiling in the entrance vestibule

- the uplifting two original  front staircases leading to first floor

- an elegant main lounge with adjacent raised dining room and attractive

   balustrade under the original church ceiling

- the delicate stone tracery of the windows

- a 2^nd lounge at ground floor with the original wooden floor shown

- the master bedroom with en-suite facilities including corner bath tub and sauna

- a self-contained or integral flat consisting of lounge, kitchen, bathroom and

  bedroom.

 

The property benefits from central oil heating; all side facing windows are double-glazed catching either morning or evening sun and on first floor the high windows with gothic top are starting right from the floor.

 

This unusual B&B & unique family home has been very tastefully re-designed to provide the guests a very special, unforgettable vacation experience & the owner a very comfortable accommodation on two floors.

 

The property still has plenty potential to further development depending on requirements & offers a rare opportunity to purchase an individually designed business and/or family residence.

 

The original gothic-styled double door leads into the attractive entrance vestibule with access to the two stairwells on each side of the bell tower. The stairwells are giving access to ground floor accommodation, the office in the former vestry and stairs to upper landings; as well as further up into the bell tower with bell and 2 level of storage and a marvellous outlook from the top.

From the upper landings original doors to the main-lounge and dining room.

 

 

Main-Lounge and Dining Room: 7.0 m x 6.0 m & 6.0 m x 3.8 m

A superb double aspect room with a comfortable, spacious sitting area featuring original exposed oak ceiling beams, pine panelling and big multi fuel stove, TV point, steps to the raised 'Gallery'-Dining-Room with attractive balustrade.

An excellent, very spacious room for breakfast and dinner, for meetings, for reception and with perfect acoustics.

 

Door to Main Hall, three central heating radiators, telephone point.

 

Main Hall: Access to Bedrooms 1 – 3, Kitchen, Shower Room and rear stairs (with built-in cupboard) to the ground floor.

 

Kitchen & Breakfast Room: 5.55m x 3.75m (inclusive of units)

Fully fitted custom-made kitchen (Old Barn Style) with special features like a gothic-styled cupboard serving at the moment as the main private kitchen and for the B&B; included are washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, fridge-freezer, double oven/grill, ceramic hob and extractor fan (all are built-in), as well as a stainless steel double sink unit with mixer tab and a separate wash hand basin. Excellent rural views right from the kitchen table. Central heating radiator and a separate built-in electrical heater for the sitting area.

 

Shower Room: 2.26m x 2.05

Fitted with w.c., wash hand basin and shower cabinet. Power shower from unvented pressurised water system. Central heating radiator and extractor fan.

 

Master Bedroom:5.32m x 5.15m

A spacious elegant room with excellent rural outlook and views. Fitted wardrobes with mirror doors providing hanging and storage space. Built-in cupboard with gothic features in the doors. Central heating radiator. Telephone point. Door to En-Suite.

 

En-Suite Bathroom: 5.15m x 3.15m

Unique bathroom with attractive exposed stone walls, original, leaded glass windows and fitted with corner bath, w.c., wash hand basin and sauna.

Central heating radiator and extractor fan.

 

Bedroom Two: 4.3m x 3.4m

Side facing room. Fitted wardrobe with mirrored doors providing hanging space and storage space. Central heating radiator.

 

Bedroom Three: 4.3m x 3.4m

Again a side facing room. Fitted wardrobe with mirrored doors providing hanging and storage space. Central heating radiator.

 

From the bottom of both original stairwells, access to the 2nd lounge & to the lower hall (with doors to bedrooms four, five and six, en suite, shower room and 2nd lounge).

 

2^nd Lounge: 5.22m x 7.35m

Superb further lounge for the B&B with plenty original features like the original wooden wainscotting, pillars of the former balcony and the original wooden floor plus a fitted bar. Central heating radiator. Telephone point.

 

Bedroom Four: 2.55m x 3.41m

Side facing cosy room with the original wooden wainscotting all around. Could be utilised as a study/office.

Central heating radiator. Telephone point. Door to En-suite.

 

En-Suite Shower Room: 2.6m x 1.62m

Fitted w.c., wash hand basin and shower room with power shower from unvented pressurised water system; 2^nd door from hall.

Central heating radiator and extractor fan.

 

Bedroom Five: 3.6m x 3.18m

Side facing room. Fitted wardrobe with hanging and storage space. Could be as well utilised as a study/office or 2^nd bedroom to the flat. Door to the integral flat. Central heating radiator. Telephone point.

 

Bedroom Six: 5.42m x 4.15m

Side facing spacious room. Central heating radiator. Door to En-Suite.

 

En-Suite Bathroom: 1.93m x 3.95m

Spacious bathroom with bath tub and power shower from unvented pressurised water system over, w.c. and wash hand basin.

Central heating radiator and extractor fan.

 

From the main hall on first floor, stairs leads into the rear of the building to the former place of the altar which has access to the apartment and doors leading off the rear vestibule as a separate main entrance for the flat.

 

Original spaces/rooms in the rear of the building 

 

Former altar room (5.2 m x 3.45 m) with stone floor, lower part of the leaded glass windows of the master en-suite upstairs and original high wooden wainscotting plus 2 of the original pews, extractor fan.

 

Fantastic big gothic-styled door to former vestry (small room with window, wooden floor and the former minister cupboard with shelves and hanging spaces) and from there into rear vestibule with former minister toilet.

Huge potential for further development as to extend the apartment into at least one third more of living space!

 

Lounge: 4.7m x 3.7m

Side facing room with original wooden wainscotting and refurbished original wooden floor. Television point. Opening through archway to Kitchen.

Storage room under staircase. Central heating radiator and telephone point.

 

Kitchen: 3.37m x 2.7m (inclusive of units)

Fitted with base units and a modern sink unit. Access via separate door from the hall. Refurbished original wooden floor. Central heating radiator.

 

Bathroom: 2,43m x 2,33

Fitted three piece suite comprising w.c., wash hand basin and bath tub with shower over. Extractor fan, Central heating radiator.

 

Bedroom 7: 3.5m x 3.37m

Side facing room. Fitted wardrobe offering hanging and storage space. Refurbished original wooden floor. Central heating radiator.

 

Small Utility Room housing the hot-water boiler.

  

The Bell Tower as the centre feature at the front of the building hosts

-         the entrance vestibule,

-         the office with telephone point, original fire place (not in use), original built-in   cupboard and central heating radiator,

-         2 rooms for storage,

-         the bell, which is still in use manually and automatic in connection with a clock as     to count the time by stroke of the bell,

-         plus access to the tower roof for a fantastic and wide view into the Grampian Highlands and across the sea towards Caithness/Sutherland.

 

Shed/Boiler Room

External access to the boiler room (housing the central heating boiler) through a shed with plenty storage space for firewood, bicycles, etc.

 

 

OUTSIDE

 

The building can be illuminated with 3 big lights and some of the major trees near the building (all timer controlled).

 

The garden grounds offers some nice seating areas, a BBQ-/Bonfire-Place, a pond with a little running stream in the west overlooking the countryside, a little waterfall from the higher to the lower grounds, a more hidden part of the garden as a sheltered and private place to rest called ‚Garden of Eden‘ and a path known as ‘Church Walk’ through the lower part of the grounds.

There are plenty huge oak, beech and pine trees as well as one spanish chestnut tree, a natural combination of grassed areas, trees and borders and some flower beds especially in front of the building with roses.

 

Car parking is in front of the building with 2 lanterns illuminating the whole front place.

 

There are two private driveways serving the property from two different public roads, one is prepared with gravel leading a couple of hundreds of yards with constant view of the church building over a former railway bridge to the forecourt of the property.

 

Services

 

Mains Electricity and Water, Private Drainage, Telephone

 

The property is in walk-in condition throughout and most of the floors are of high quality material like KARNDEAN with a celtic feature at the main hall upstairs. The main kitchen is of solid oak and just 7 years old. The whole building has been regularly maintained and is in best possible state of repair. The soakway has been totally renewed and extended in 2006.

 

 

The Property is clearly sign-posted from the centre of the neighboured village of Lhanbryde by brown tourist signs ‚Old Church B&B‘.

 

 

 

 

...see as well our website under www.oldchurch.eu