Given that Edinburgh Castle is never going to be up for sale, the next best thing for buyers seeking an historic pile in the city’s Old Town has surely got to be Ramsay Garden. Situated at the top of the Royal Mile just below the castle and only a stone’s throw from the Esplanade, what was originally a six-storey Georgian property has been divided to make two residential gems – one of which is now on the market.
Configured over three levels, this A-listed property bristles with period features and benefits from panoramic views over Edinburgh’s skyline to the north and the Firth of Forth. In addition, the present owners have converted the original cellars in the lower ground level into three rooms suitable for a multitude of uses, bringing the total floor area to 2,472 sq ft.
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Accessed at ground level, the reception hall continues to a large sitting room and adjoining library/bedroom with en suite shower room. An original Georgian staircase in the hall leads down to the garden level, which houses a 20ft dining kitchen with double-door access onto a private residents’ garden, walk-in pantry, 17ft double bedroom, and the main bedroom, which has dressing room and en suite bathroom. The staircase continues down to the lower ground level, where the additional cellar rooms now provide a characterful 22ft study, snug, and a fourth double bedroom.
The detail and range of intact original features is remarkable – the sitting room has 12-pane Georgian windows with pitch pine panelled surrounds and working wooden shutters, and an ornately carved pine mantel and open fire; the large dining kitchen has a three-oven Aga, Belfast sink, and abundant space for free-standing appliances, while the adjoining library boasts full-height bookcases on two walls.
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A free-standing roll-top bath with shower handset takes centre stage in the main bathroom – and the bedrooms ooze character – one has an ornate fireplace, another has recessed bookshelves and beautiful pitch-pine floorboards, but for sheer drama, the cellar bedroom has the edge with a pitch pine floor, undulating white plaster walls and a barrel ceiling – features echoed in the somewhat larger converted study.
Externally, Ramsay Garden’s façade has survived remarkably intact and is complemented by a picture-perfect cobbled street feeding into the Royal Mile. Ramsay Garden is for sale at offers over £995,000 with Rettie’s Edinburgh office.
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