Leithen Lodge, an A listed mansion in the Borders, lies on historic land. The neighbouring forest of Leithen was used as royal hunting ground in the mid-13th century and was the property of various owners until 1852 when it was purchased by the railway engineer John Miller.
Miller extended a building that lay on the plot before his daughter, Margaret, and son-in-law, George Miller Cunningham, commissioned AG Sydney Miller, an architect, to reconfigure their home into a residence fit for a laird.
A southeast wing was added to the property and it was brought into line with the Scottish Renaissance style, complete with Jacobean panelling and Arts and Crafts features, but later fell into disrepair. It was rescued from demolition in the 1900s by Scots heritage figure David Lumsden, who renovated and restored it.
Julie and Edward Martin bought the property 12 years ago. They refurbished it throughout and began to catalogue the work carried out.
That logbook includes what has prospered in the garden at various times throughout the year, such as figs and apricots, as well as paint colours used to decorate the house. It will be passed on to the property’s next owners.
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Leithen Lodge, on the market with Savills for offers of more than £1.395 million, has a ballroom, drawing room, dining room, breakfast and morning room, a library and three self-contained apartments on its ground and first floor, which are used as holiday lets.
There are six bedrooms, a south-facing orangery, garage and study, as well as an enclosed courtyard with Italian influences and a central fountain and herb garden, where lavender and rosemary grow.
The house sits in 20 acres of land, which include a stone bridge over Leithen Water, two pagodas, a walled garden and raised rose gardens. There is also a woodland garden with a lochan and a wooden cabin.
“It feels like you’re cut off from the rest of the world when you’re here,” says Julie, who is moving back to her native Suffolk with her husband. “There is a wonderful sense of place come summer or winter.”
Savills, savills.com