Saturday, September 16, 2023

Bedding a bargain

Scottish estate once marketed at £4.5 million now available for just £1.6 million

 

The Melville State Bed is considered “the most spectacular single exhibit in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s British Galleries”. Hung with 85 metres of velvet, 114.5 metres of damask and 62 metres of supporting linen and buckram, the “theatrical” crimson bed was created in 1700 to reflect the status of its owner and now the very house it was originally the centerpiece of is once again on the market.

 

The front elevation of Melville House, Monimail Cupar, Fife, Scotland, KY15 7RJ
The front elevation of Melville House, Monimail Cupar, Fife, Scotland, KY15 7RJ
The Melville State Bed is now housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum and is probably surprisingly worth more than the building that originally housed it
The Melville State Bed is now housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum and is probably surprisingly worth more than the building that originally housed it

Grade A listed Melville House at Monimail in Fife in Scotland has been dubbed “Britain’s most expensive repossessed property” by titles such as the Mail Online but frankly that is neither true nor does this James Smith designed mansion justice. As far as we are aware, the “most pricey repo” accolade should go to the especially vile Updown Court in Surrey – which eventually sold at a price of £35,000,000 against an original asking figure of £70,000,000 – whilst Melville House, built in 1692, surely deserves to be lauded as “Scotland’s finest Palladian house” instead.

 

Built in a classic H-shape, the 25,000 square foot three-storey house stands on a plot of just 16.5 acres. It’s a bit of a sad soul as its parkland is no longer part of the estate and a 19th century coach house was damaged by fire in 2012. Melville House is being marketed in “sold as seen condition” by Strutt & Parker’s Edinburgh office and even comes complete with a rather wacky tree house.

 

The rear elevation of the mansion
The rear elevation of the mansion
The spectacular reception hall
The spectacular reception hall
One of a number of impressive and sizeable reception rooms
One of a number of impressive and sizeable reception rooms
The house has been partly modernised and includes features such as this modern kitchen
The house has been partly modernised and includes features such as this modern kitchen
There is even a tree house within the grounds
There is even a tree house within the grounds

Originally home to the Melville family, the property and the Melville State Bed were separated in 1949 when the estate was sold after being used to billet Polish soldiers during the Second World War. It subsequently became a private school and then a reform school for young offenders. In the 1990s, the estate reverted into private hands after being sold for £400,000.

 

In 2003, the mansion was transferred to another set of owners who paid £1 million for it. They lavished over £2 million restoring it and marketed the property for £4.5 million in 2005 but it failed to sell. Repossessed by a South African bank, it subsequently sold for a much lower figure of £1.6 million in 2009 to a Mr and Mrs Harvey and now, once again, its for sale.

 

The price in 2013? Once again, just £1.6 million.

 

 

Subscribe to our free once daily email newsletter here:

    The Steeple Times
    The Steeple Times
    We research and background check our articles. If you believe we have made and error in some detail please get in touch, we seek always to write the truth and stand against a press owned by a self selected few. Please help us, we will accept all your likes, subscriptions and anonymous suport. The Editor and his team at the Steeple Times.

    3 COMMENTS

    1. It never cost anywhere near £2million in refurbishments – FACT. A lovely place bought to life, upkeep costs are at a price that reflects the cost of the house, someone that can afford it! Believe it’s now under offer again for around £1,250,000

    2. I use to live in that house for 3 years, the out building has an indoor footall/basketball court and 5 or 6 large rooms off that, which could be converted into 3 bungalows alone, 2 gazibos at the bottom of the drive and upstairs the rooms are bigger than most people’s flats, so 2 million in renovation and fixtures sounds about right, sadly they removed a lot of the original wood from the walls and made it dark and mirky in a lot of the rooms, if I had the money I would buy it… Even if it was 2m

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here

    £1 per week Supports The Steeple Times

    Help journalism to remain honest & independent. You can make a difference to the world today.

    3,573FansLike
    2,068FollowersFollow
    16,680FollowersFollow
    4,962SubscribersSubscribe

    Subscribe For DAILY NEWS

    Please subscribe, like and share this unique site, it helps us tremendously. The Steeple Times in return will send you an email at noon each and everyday, that we sincerely hope you will enjoy & look forward to seeing in your inbox.

    AD
    Advertisement

    Trending Now

    ‘Comeback King’ Kevin Spacey – Actor Seeks To “Leave The Nonsense Behind”

    As Kevin Spacey’s eccentric ‘friend’ Geoffrey Mark claims the “exonerated” actor will now “leave the nonsense behind” and begin his comeback, we remind of his friendships with ‘curious sorts’ including Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein.

    Summer Silly Season Stories 2023 – ‘The Steeple Times’ Is Back

    Matthew Steeples highlights the stories he’s been following during the ‘silly season’ summer of 2023 – amongst them matters Ghislaine Maxwell and Rudy Giuliani and podcasts about ‘true crime’ as a genre.

    Most Popular Articles

    Was Mucky Minx Meghan Markle A ‘Yacht Girl’ For ‘Randy Andy’?

    As author Kirby Sommers suggests that the then Meghan Markle likely spent time with Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein before she met Prince Harry, we again highlight the mucky, murkiness and mendacious manner of this alleged “yacht girl.”

    Most Liked...

    Big Zuu (Birth Name – Zuhair Hassan)

    Big Zuu Zuhair Hassan
    A rapper and grime MC turned TV star of ‘Big Zuu’s Big Eats,’ Zuhair Hassan is an example of a youngster with infectious positivity and great talent. A modern-day Keith Floyd in the making.

    Nasty NestSeekers

    Nasty NestSeekers – Realtor turned alleged squatter Jonathan Davis – Entitled Hamptons brat Jonathan Davis exposed for allegedly squatting in a house in Sag Harbor owned by Paula Rosado during the coronavirus lockdown; it turns out he’s a realtor with NestSeekers.
    Entitled Hamptons brat Jonathan Davis exposed for allegedly squatting in Sag Harbor during the coronavirus lockdown; it turns out he’s a realtor with NestSeekers.

    SW3’s Smallest – Smallest Stand-Alone House In Chelsea For Sale For...

    SW3’s Smallest – Smallest Stand-Alone House In Chelsea For Sale For Staggering Sum
    Smallest stand-alone house in Chelsea for sale for 100% more than it was offered for in 2017; there’s barely room to swing a cat.

    Cut The Conspiracy Claptrap – Crazy Theories About The Deaths Of...

    Cut The Conspiracy Claptrap
    Matthew Steeples suggests that the crazy conspiracy claptrap that has followed in the wake of the death of Her Majesty The Queen and the ongoing nonsense that circulates online about Jeffrey Epstein is exactly that; crazy claptrap.

    ‘Comeback King’ Kevin Spacey – Actor Seeks To “Leave The Nonsense...

    ‘Comeback King’ Kevin Spacey – Actor Seeks To “Leave The Nonsense Behind”
    As Kevin Spacey’s eccentric ‘friend’ Geoffrey Mark claims the “exonerated” actor will now “leave the nonsense behind” and begin his comeback, we remind of his friendships with ‘curious sorts’ including Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein.