A riverside Scottish castle that once belonged to a big game hunter who reportedly saved former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt from a herd of elephants hit the market last month for £4.25 million (US$5.55 million).
The Hensol Estate, near the town of Castle Douglas in Kirkcudbrightshire, has a granite, 10-bedroom main house, five cottages, a farmhouse, home farm and a communications tower. It all sits on around 1,068 acres of land, including: 94 acres of grass, 134 acres of pasture, 460 acres of rough grazings and 352 acres of woods, according to a news release from Strutt & Parker, the brokerage handling the sale.
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The main house was built in 1822 by Gothic revivalist architect Robert Lugar, famed for designing grand houses, for John Cuninghame, who was bequeathed the estate from William Cuninghame, a tobacco merchant who reportedly made a fortune from the tobacco scarcity caused by the American Revolution.
It was passed on to Richard John Cuninghame, whose diaries recount him saving Roosevelt—also an avid hunter—from both wild elephants and a furious hippopotamus, according to reports.
For those buyers inspired by Roosevelt's passion for hunting, the estate has an established driven pheasant shoot, duck flighting, roe deer stalking and two miles of River Dee frontage with trout fishing.
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The sellers have owned the estate since 2012, according to the news release.
"Hensol enjoys a particularly private location, which will appeal to buyers from the U.K. and overseas who seek a secluded home," said Andrew Rettie, Chairman of Strutt & Parker, in the news release. "Of particular interest is the very rich history; and also the excellent mix of houses, woods, farmland and its diversity of sportings."
The Daily Record first reported the listing.