£9m Fasque estate once owned by ex-PM William Gladstone up for sale
A country estate owned by the family of one of Britain's greatest prime ministers is on the market.
William Gladstone was a regular visitor at Fasque estate, near Fettercairn, in Aberdeenshire after his family bought it in 1829.
Gladstone is said to have loved Fasque and spent as much time there as possible, often walking the 15 miles from Banchory Station in Deeside to the estate.
The land and Balbegno Castle have remained in the family ever since, but his descendants have now decided to sell everything, offering the 6,000 acre site as 28 individual lots or the whole estate for offers over £9,320,000.
The recently renovated A-listed six-bedroom castle has been priced at offers over £595,000 with 21 acres of gardens, grounds and parkland.
In the castle’s Great Hall, a vaulted stone ceiling depicts the coat of arms of 13 Scottish peers. There were originally 14 but one was removed after a fallout with the peer in question.
There are 32 houses and cottages, estate and farm buildings on the land, which also comes with a renowned pheasant shoot with over 40 named drives and Christmas tree plantations.
Owner Charles Gladstone said: “Fasque has been part of our family for generations and we are very sad to let it go. In particular, I am immensely proud of the work we have done to Balbegno Castle and the house it is today.
“However, we do not live there and cannot do justice to it or the estate.
“We feel the time has come to move on and allow a new owner to take it on and nurture it in a way we are unable to do.”
Robert McCulloch of Strutt & Parker, who is part of the team handling the sale, said the land had been divided up in the hope of attracting different buyers across the property market.
He said: “Coming so soon after the EU referendum vote, the launch of Fasque Estate will be a test of the market and it will be interesting to see how the market responds.
“The lotted sale of Fasque Estate represents the potential fragmentation of a large privately-owned estate which provides a rare opportunity for buyers with a range of budgets to realise their ambitions to buy a rural property in a very pretty part of Scotland.”
William Gladstone served as prime minister four times between 1868 and 1894 during his political career which spanned over more than 60 years.
His father John Gladstone moved into Fasque with his second wife and daughter in 1833 and was later appointed as the Lord Lieutenant of Kincardineshire.
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