Noss Head lighthouse keeper's cottage could be your new des res
A HOME with panoramic views out to sea and a historic clifftop stronghold in east Caithness has gone on the market.
The three-bedroom A listed cottage which was occupied by the lighthouse keeper at Noss Head is being sold by the Clan Sinclair Trust. It is described as being “the beautiful epitome of Stevenson lighthouse engineering”.
Joint sellers Bidwells and Drever & Heddle say it is one of the most unusual properties they have marketed.
The lighthouse on the headland, just north of Wick, which was automated in 1987, is set behind a drystone wall and flanked to the south by the remains of Castle Sinclair Girnigoe – the ancestral seats of the Earl of Caithness.
The lighthouse tower remains the property of the Northern Lighthouse Board with the sale comprising the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage together with the Superintendent’s Cottage, the former engine room, a seven-bay former stable and a storehouse as well as 13 hectares of ground, including a walled garden.
The Keeper’s Cottage which is accessed via a private road from Staxigoe, is constructed in the Egyptian style and painted in the traditional white with ochre trim. A later addition, the four-bedroom Superintendent’s Cottage, is not listed. Offers over £275,000 are being sought for the two cottages, outbuildings and land.
Alastair Campbell, of Bidwells, said: “The history of Noss Head itself and the surrounding area makes this property quite unique and will no doubt be of great interest to a variety of prospective purchasers.
“Although unusual, Noss Head would lend itself to a range of uses and the new owners will certainly not tire of the views.”
He said it presented a private, unique, adaptable property with impressive and romantic vistas in all directions.
Mr Campbell added: “The dramatic cliffs of Noss Head project into the North Sea affording inspiring views and a short clifftop walk from the property is a rewarding experience – looking across to the sandy beach of Sinclair’s Bay you can see both Castle Sinclair Girnigoe and Ackergill Tower.
“Following the north coast of the headland a short distance from the property, you will discover Sandy Geo, a small sandy beach overlooked by a towering sea stack.”
The Trust acquired the estate in 2006 and is going ahead with the current sale to raise funds in aid of the ongoing drive to preserve Castle Sinclair Girnigoe.
The castle is a scheduled monument and rated by the World Monuments Fund as one of the world’s 100 most endangered sites.