Mansion apartment owned by a former prime minister on sale for £2.4m
Grand Scottish mansion apartment which was once the home of former Conservative Prime Minister Arthur Balfour and hosted Winston Churchill, HG Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle goes on the market for £2.4m
- An apartment in a mansion once owned by a British prime minister is on the market for offers over £2.4million
- Prime Minister Arthur Balfour hosted 20th century stars like William Gladstone, Churchill and HG Wells there
- The 9,000 sq ft property has a conservatory bathroom with a rolltop roof for stargazing while in the shower
- A commemorative oak tree, planted by King Edward VII, grows in the Grade A listed house’s 16-acre grounds
- Set all on one floor, it includes an entrance hall, kitchen, dining room, four bedrooms and three bathrooms
- Located in East Lothian, Scotland, the neo-classical country house is now divided into seven apartments
A grand apartment in a mansion that has hosted royals, aristocrats and celebrities has gone on the market for offers over £2.4million.
Whittingehame House was once the home of politician Arthur Balfour, who was Prime Minister in the early 20th century.
He hosted the likes of William Gladstone, Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, HG Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle there.
While he was Prime Minister, Balfour was also visited by King Edward VII, who planted a commemorative oak tree in the 16-acre grounds.
The Grade A listed mansion, which is still regarded as one of the finest neo-classical country houses in Britain, is in East Lothian, Scotland, and is now divided into seven apartments.
Marble fireplaces and pillars are featured throughout the grand apartment in Whittingehame House, which has gone on the market for over £2.4million. Pictured: A sprawling living room with a games area
Whittingehame House played host to many of Britain’s brightest stars in the early 20th century – such as William Gladstone, Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, HG Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle
The house was once owned by the British politician Arthur Balfour, who was Prime Minister in the early 20th century
It is believed that the 1917 Balfour Declaration, outlining British support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, made when Balfour was Foreign Secretary, was signed in the library at Whittingehame (pictured)
The Balfour, which is on the market with estate agents Cullerton’s, is the largest of the apartments at 9,000 sq ft. Pictured: The master bedroom in
King Edward VII planted a commemorative oak tree in the 16-acre grounds on one of his visits to the property when it was the residence of Prime Minister Arthur Balfour
The Grade A listed mansion in East Lothian, Scotland, is divided into seven apartment
The Balfour, which is on the market with estate agents Cullerton’s, is the largest of the apartments at 9,000 sq ft and includes several impressive state rooms.
It is believed that the 1917 Balfour Declaration, outlining British support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, made when Balfour was Foreign Secretary, was signed in the library at Whittingehame, which is part of the apartment for sale.
The Balfour also has a lavish music room, a conservatory bathroom with a luxurious rolltop bath you can watch the stars from and a grand summer house with a neo-classical temple style veranda.
The accommodation is all on one floor and also includes an entrance hall, kitchen, dining room, drawing room, four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
It has some incredible features including marble fireplaces and pillars, moulded ceilings and original wooden floors.
The Balfour apartment also owns the grounds with the terrace, formal garden and avenue of lime trees for private use.
Whittingehame House was designed by architect Sir Robert Smirke, who was responsible for the British Museum, for Balfour’s grandfather James in 1817 and Arthur was born there in 1848.
With 28 years of service in the government, Balfour had one of the longest ministerial careers in modern British politics, second only to Winston Churchill. He died in 1930.
During the Second World War the house became a school for Jewish refugee children that came to the UK through the Kindertransport programme, fleeing Nazi Germany.
The Balfour family sold the house in 1963 and it became a private school for boys, which closed in 1980 and it was turned into apartments.
The house was described by the estate agent as being ‘one of the finest of its kind, a truly special mansion house that is redolent with history’
The property is regarded as one of the finest neo-classical country houses in Britain
A spacious sitting area in the Balfour is decorated with three chandeliers
The dining room (pictured) has enough room to host big gatherings, with eight chairs around a long table in the centre
The Balfour has a conservatory bathroom with a luxurious rolltop bath you can watch the stars from (pictured)
The accommodation is all on one floor and also includes an entrance hall (pictured), kitchen, dining room, drawing room, four bedrooms and three bathrooms
A lavish music room stores two cellos and a grand piano
The Balfour apartment ‘has few of the overheads associated with a house of this nature’, according to the estate agent
The estate agent said the property is rich ‘in period elegance, grandeur and stately detail’
Mark Cullerton, managing director of Cullerton’s, said: ‘Whittingehame House is one of the finest of its kind, a truly special mansion house that is redolent with history.
‘This, the principal apartment, is rich in period elegance, grandeur and stately detail, making it a very desirable property.
‘The owners have lived there 11 years and lived in the apartment above this before that. They loved it so much they wanted to stay and have the principal apartment.
‘The detail is quite something, down to the engraved AB on the window surrounds and the incredible cornicing. It takes your breath away, it’s a special place.
‘Yet as luxurious as the Balfour is, it is also a warm and welcoming home and has few of the overheads associated with a house of this nature.’
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