A stunning 18th century mansion where Sir Walter Scott wrote his first poetry has gone on the market.
The Scottish poet and playwright lived at Barony House in Lasswade, Midlothian, from 1798 to 1805.
Scott brought his wife Charlotte to the cottage after their honeymoon in 1798 and rented out the house for £30 a year.
He penned the opening stanza of The Lay of the Last Minstrel, his first poetic success, while he lived at the house, as well as the ballad, The Gray Brother.
Scott is said to have hosted poet William Wordsworth and his wife Mary Hutchinson at the house during the time he lived there.
Sellers Ellisons, in Edinburgh, have listed the house as 'price on application' but said it has been valued at £2.5million.
![](https://i2-prod.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article28720844.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_JS286066597.jpg)
In 2008 the A-listed house went on the market for £1.5million after its owner, millionaire entrepreneur Stuart Robinson, said he needed a house with more land.
The thatched cottage was called Lasswade at the time Scott lived in it but has been extended twice over the years - and now has six bedrooms and reception rooms.
The house is surrounded by perfectly manicured grounds and gardens which stretch across 4.5 acres and boasts a games room, larder, and huge dressing room.
The oldest part of the building, which is still thatched, houses a semi-circular home office which looks out over the formal gardens.
![](https://i2-prod.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article28720498.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_JS286066514.jpg)
Mark Coulter, from Ellisons, said it was 'mind blowing' to be involved in the sale of the historical house.
He said: "To be involved with property of this calibre is an incredible privilege.
"Clients look to us for discretion, personal approach and a level of service that doesn't typically exist.
![](https://i2-prod.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article28720497.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_JS286066603.jpg)
"We are merely passing through history, but Barony House is history.
"To sell a house where one of the greatest literary Scottish figures, Walter Scott, lived for six years, and entertained, William Wordsworth, arguably an even bigger literary giant from England is mind blowing."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.