Published: Thursday, 21st August, 2008 09:30
All yours for a cool £15m!
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THE sale of historic 500-acre Yester Estate in Gifford – including stunning Yester House – could fetch up to £15 million, which would earn it the title of Scotland’s most expensive property.
The home of legendary Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti for more than 30 years until his death in February last year, the 85-room mansion has been put on the market at a guide price of between £12 and £15 million.
Menotti, considered to be one of the finest composers of the 20th century and the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, divided his time between his family home in Spoleto, near Rome, and Gifford, which was the inspiration for many of his greatest operas.
The present owner of the estate is Gian’s son Francis Menotti, who said: “Yester has been a beloved family retreat for many years but now it is time to move on and allow the next generation, with new vigour and enthusiasm, to take it on.
“I only hope they gain as much enjoyment from it as my family and I have over the last 35 years.”
The 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale commissioned James Smith and Alexander McGill to design category-A listed Yester House in the late 17th century.
Work progressed slowly and was eventually completed about 30 years later by William Adam and his son Robert.
The lands of Yester originally extended to more than 300,000 acres and belonged to the Giffords, passing through marriage to the Hays – later the Marquesses of Tweeddale – at the end of the 14th century.
The remains of Yester Castle – their original seat – lies within the estate, to the east of Yester House, and incorporates the famous subterranean Goblin Ha’ (Hall), immortalised by Sir Walter Scott in his poem Marmion and is still largely intact today.
The vast estate includes a walled garden dating from 1750 and a 19th century stable block. The wooded gorge of the Gifford Water also runs through the grounds.
Yester House – which has never been open to the public – boasts five reception rooms, 14 bedrooms, staff quarters and an extensive basement including a wine cellar, and is attracting international interest.
The marketing of the property is a joint venture between Savills Edinburgh and Knight Frank.
“Yester House is a property of national significance, one of Scotland’s great houses,” said Anna Thomas, of Savills.
“The architecture and the interiors are absolutely superb but it’s a house you can live in, not a showpiece.”
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