Mansefield

Mansefield is an impressive B Listed Georgian property, formerly the manse for the Alford Auld West Kirk which was originally at the centre of the parish. The original manse dates to 1718, with substantial additions in 1832 and Victorian times. The property sits in around 3.4 acres of outstanding garden grounds including the formal walled garden, rolling grass lawns and mature woodlands with meandering paths. The grounds are bordered by 250m of riverbank of the Leochel Burn to the north and west and offer a great deal of privacy and space for any proprietor. Mansefield is located within the Alford area of Donside, an extremely popular and growing town in Aberdeenshire, within very easy access of the Cairngorms National Park and Royal Deeside.The extensive accommodation continues over four levels and offers the traditional features one would expect of such a home.The main entrance vestibule continues to the hall, and this in turn leads to most accommodation to the ground level. The formal drawing room has a beautiful outlook over the front garden from the bay window and has an open fireplace. The dining room is a formal room, with an equally pleasant outlook over the garden and an open fireplace. There is also a superb home office, separate cloakroom, storeroom & steps down to the inner hall. The sitting room is a very spacious and comfortable room with wood burning stove and steps leading to the wonderful dining kitchen. The dining kitchen is fitted with a bespoke Murray & Murray kitchen with solid oak units and Kirkstone slate work tops. The heart of any home, this kitchen has a wood burning stove, a SMEG dual fuel range cooker, built in Miele dishwasher & built in NEFF ovens, steam oven & microwave and a Baumatic warming drawer; it is both a practical, yet luxury, working space within the property. From the kitchen an inner hall gives access out to the garden and to the main reception hall. This inner hall also leads you to the excellent shelved pantry and utility room with W.C. Access by stairs to the lower ground floor leads to two generous workshop rooms and the former coal cellar. There is direct access from this level outdoors, and the space here is extremely useful and well maintained.As one continues up the stairs to the first floor there is the principal bedroom, a very spacious room, with an open fireplace flanked by tall windows. This room also enjoys built in wardrobes and an impressive ensuite bathroom with separate shower unit and underfloor heating. Bedroom 2 is an equally spacious double room and lies adjacent to the modern main family bathroom. There are three further good double bedrooms on the first floor, all of which enjoy varying views over the surrounding garden grounds. Stairs from the first-floor lead to the attic level. Bedroom 6 has a sky light window and there is a further attic room.ACCOMMODATIONLower Ground Floor: Three cellar/workshop rooms.Ground Floor: Entrance vestibule, hall, drawing room, dining room, sitting room and dining kitchen. Home office, utility room/cloakroom, cloakroom, pantry and storeroom.First Floor: Principal bedroom with ensuite bathroom. Bedroom 2, bedroom 3, bedroom 4, bedroom 5 & family bathroom.Second Floor: Bedroom 6 & attic room.GARDEN GROUNDSMansefield enjoys around 3.4 acres of garden grounds offering privacy, shelter and plentiful outdoor space. A private sweeping driveway, flanked by neat hedging, leads to the front of the main house. The front garden is mostly rolling grass lawn, bordered by mature woodland rhododendrons and mature shrubs. Natural paths provide walks and adventures through the trees and round the beautiful Leochel Burn, which boundaries the property to the north and west. There are perfectly placed seating spots to enjoy the peace & quiet, the sound of water and the array of birds & wildlife. Red squirrels, roe deer, pheasants, woodpeckers, dippers & a variety of woodland birds are regularly seen.The walled garden is an outstanding feature of this historic property and offers an idyllic and picturesque formal garden. Stone gravel paths meander through the colourful herbaceous borders, topiary, box hedging and mature fruit trees. There are herb gardens, kitchen gardens and a beautiful Alton timber framed greenhouse sits perfectly in this walled garden, whilst the timber pagoda offers a relaxing spot to overlook the garden grounds. The former Gardeners Cottage is a charming traditional building with upper level, and presently used for storage. The traditional steading is also an extremely useful building divided into three areas including garaging. A new timber shed adjacent to the steading, with double doors, offers further storage and working space. This steading building sits in the northeast side of the walled garden and has a separate access track from the public road. Both the gardener’s cottage and steading may be suitable for conversion with the necessary permissions.SERVICES, COUNCIL TAX AND ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE(S)Water MainsElectricity MainsDrainage Septic TankTenure FreeholdHeating OilCouncil Tax Band GEPC Band FAn additional private water supply is in use and primarily used for the gardens.SITUATIONMansefield is located just a few minutes’ drive from the town of Alford in a beautiful & quiet countryside location. Schooling is provided at Alford Primary School and then Alford Academy, which is a very popular community campus with secondary school, swimming pool, theatre, library and community café. Alford is a popular and growing town with a wealth of amenities including a health centre, Co-Op, butcher, Post Office & other shops, filling station, cafes & hotels along with a dry ski slope, golf course and 2 museums. On the edge of Alford is Haughton Country Park, a 200 acre park with an array of activities available including, children’s play area, walks and trails along with a putting green and camp site. Regular bus services are available from Alford with links to Aberdeen, Westhill, Kintore and Kemnay.Aberdeen is some 27 miles, and provides all the leisure, recreational and entertainment facilities expected from the oil capital of Europe. The city of Aberdeen offers endless art, culture and events including His Majesty’s Theatre and the recently re-opened Aberdeen Art Gallery, which has undergone a once-in-a-life-time £30m transformation. There are restaurants, bars, coffee shops and major national retailers together with a railway and bus station. Private education is available in Aberdeen at Robert Gordon’s College, St. Margaret’s school for Girls, Albyn School and the International School of Aberdeen.Locally, the Co-Op in Alford provides for daily needs and there is a full range of shops available within 30 minutes in Westhill, Huntly & Inverurie including Tesco, Marks & Spencer foodhall, Morrison, ASDA, Lidl, Aldi.Mansefield is located a 40-minute drive from Aberdeen International Airport where there are regular domestic flights within the UK, particularly to London Heathrow. There are also daily flights out with the UK to many international locations including Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands, connecting you onwards around the world. Daytime & overnight sleeper train services are available at Aberdeen Railway Station.