A Victorian mansion that looks over a stunning Scottish loch cost less than many one-bed flats in London.
The stunning house and gardens of the Linn Estate featured on one episode of the BBC’s Gardeners’ World.
They came with gorgeous views over Loch Long, and sprawling historic botanical gardens, but despite all of this it actually cost less than a one-bedroom flat in London.
The Victorian mansion cost its new owner just under £400,000, less than a whole host of one-bed flats in the English capital.
A former record label boss snapped up the Scottish mansion, and Linn Gardens, as he spent the pandemic in the Caribbean with his wife and kids.
Matthew Young had the money to decide to leave the country and head there with his family.
He came across the listing for the rundown mansion that came with three acres of botanical gardens.
But the lush gardens were overrun before he bought it without even seeing the property in person, still in Barbados.
Since then, he has been on a "mission" to renovate and rebuild the beautiful house and gardens.
Speaking on Gardeners' World, he said: “We somewhat accidentally bought a botanical garden on the west coast of Scotland.”
The home was described by estate agents Savills as “in need of refurbishment” and it came with structural issues and an overgrown gardens - but cost just £395,000.
By contrast a number of one-bed flats in London come in significantly more expensive.
Some are over twice the price of the mansion, claiming to boast the exclusivity of London’s “most sought after” locations instead of a loch view, botanical garden and seven bedrooms.
One million-pound flat said it came with: “A bright and spacious south-west facing one bedroom ground floor apartment, in one of Chelsea’s most sought-after purpose-built portered (24hr) blocks.
“Whitelands House is a well-maintained building, situated in a prime Chelsea location just off the King's Road, close to a wide variety of shops, boutiques, restaurants, cafes and excellent transport links including Sloane Square Underground Station (Circle and District) only 0.3 miles away.”
Whereas, when Young bought the B-listed seven bed property, it came with an additional cottage, its own stream and plunge pool.
It’s less than an hour's drive from Glasgow and boasts a rich history.
Dr Jim Taggart, a horticulturalist, built up the botanical gardens over his lifetime with the help of his son, Jamie.
They planted thousands of species of ferns, plants and trees from around the world and drew international visitors to the Rosneath Peninsula.
But tragedy struck when Jamie died in 2013, searching for rare plants in Vietnam, and his dad passed away six years later.
The mansion fell into disrepair and the garden became neglected.
This was the state Mr Young snapped it up in, a stone and slate property over two floors with period features.
Since he bought it, a local group has supported the renewal of Linn Gardens to bring it back to its former glory.
The Friends of Linn handed over a cheque for almost £10,000 but Mr Young has a lot of work ahead of him.
Some parts of the site need structural work just to make it safe to walk around, and the garden is currently closed to the public, the Mail reported.
Mr Young is now studying for a BSc in horticulture and plantsmanship at the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh.
He described himself as a “decent amateur gardener and that's it”.
Gardeners’ World plans to update viewers in the coming months on the gardens and mansion.
