Location

Cowden House sits in a beautiful rural setting, about two miles from the picturesque and highly sought after town of Dollar. The town has an excellent range of services and amenities, including a grocery store, bakery, delicatessen and wine shop. It also has a post office, health centre, dentist and newsagent in addition to several specialist shops, cafés, a pub and a restaurant. Dollar is best known for its long established Academy, which is often billed as one of Scotland's most respected independent schools. There is also Strathdevon Primary School in the town. Other private schools within reach include Strathallan at Bridge of Earn and the Fairview International School in Bridge of Allan.

Dollar has a vibrant and friendly local community with a variety of sports and arts clubs as well as youth groups. The tennis and squash clubs are both particularly popular and there are golf courses locally at Dollar and Muckhart. The world-renowned golf courses and leisure facilities at Gleneagles Hotel are only about 12 miles away. For those who enjoy the outdoors there are wonderful walks to be enjoyed locally in the Ochil Hills while the more dramatic hills and lochs of Perthshire sit further to the north.

Cowden House is very accessible with excellent commuter links to the major centres of Stirling (13.5 miles), Perth (24 miles), Edinburgh (31 miles) and Glasgow (35 miles), all within easy reach. Edinburgh International Airport is 33 miles away, and Glasgow Airport is 45.5 miles. Halbeath Park and Ride is only 16 miles away, and offers regular services into Edinburgh, as does Inverkeithing railway station (18 miles), which runs commuter services to Edinburgh's stations at Waverley, Haymarket as well as Edinburgh Gateway and Edinburgh Park.

All distances are approximate.

Description

Cowden House sits in a superb, south facing setting only two miles to the east of Dollar. The house was built in 1967 in the grounds of what was once the Cowden Castle estate. It therefore benefits from beautifully established gardens and grounds which extend to just under four acres in all.

The curved entrance porch opens into the central hall, which has an abundance of natural light thanks to its set of five bi-folding doors which open up onto an external staircase which sweeps down into the gardens below. The superb, spacious living room with its vaulted ceiling and bow end, is approached by two large sliding doors from the central hall. A fireplace is set into the bow end of the room, and there is a lovely seating area in a curved alcove to the side, wrapped around by windows overlooking the gardens below. Also situated off the central hall is a study, which could be used as a further bedroom. A corridor from here leads off to three further double bedrooms, the largest of which is set in one of the curved turrets on the south side of the house and has a Juliet balcony and an en suite shower room. The other two bedrooms have fitted wardrobes and are serviced by the family bathroom which has both a separate shower and a bath set within the house's eastern turret.

A staircase from the entrance hall leads both to the lower ground floor and the first floor. The kitchen and living areas on the lower ground floor have been impressively enhanced in recent years, with the addition of a stunning Mozolowski & Murray extension in 2023. This has created a fabulous dining room / sun room with an octagonal skylight overhead, and a full-length wall of glass bi-folding doors opening up onto the outdoor terrace which overlooks the garden. The family room sits to the side, set into the largest curved turret which has a log burner. These two rooms both interlink nicely with the kitchen which is fitted with extensive units and integrated appliances including a six oven AGA with gas hob module, and an American-style fridge freezer. There is also a moveable island with matching solid worktops and a breakfast bar. A door leads out to the side of the house. A separate door leads into a back vestibule, off which is a WC and utility store which is useful for housing laundry appliances.

The first floor is home to the outstanding principal bedroom suite, which runs the full easternmost end of the house to capitalise on the morning sun. It has a spacious en suite bathroom with a freestanding bath with a characterful porthole window behind it, and separate shower. There is also an en suite dressing room set into the side turret. There is a further double bedroom on this level, taking the total number of bedrooms to five, with the study included.

The gardens at Cowden House are truly spectacular, and extend to about 3.9 acres in all. The principal garden sits to the front of the house, overlooked by the terrace outside the new extension. Beyond the lawn is a summerhouse with a covered timber decked terrace. This is a special place for outdoor dining and entertaining while enjoying views of the gardens. A further flagstone terrace enclosed by low stone walls sits to the east of the house, with a door into the kitchen. The gardens are provided with shelter and privacy by a variety of mature broadleaf and evergreen trees, including a spectacular copper beech. To the front of the house is a large parking area, overlooked by a double garage, and a hand built, high spec and technology-driven Cultivar greenhouse, installed in 2022. There is also a potting shed and tool store, and a partially walled kitchen garden with three raised beds.

The remains of the original entrance arch for the Cowden Castle estate, including a turreted folly, sit in the upper garden, providing a characterful backdrop above the house. Beyond here is an expanse of lawn, with mature woodland behind it to the north of the property, offering lovely nature walks.