AN ESTATE once at the centre of a plot to place Bonnie Prince Charlie on the British throne has had its price slashed.
Elibank, which comes with a magnificent country mansion, picturesque cottage, tennis court and 214 acres of land, is synonymous with a disastrous Jacobite plot.
The stunning property, one of the first Scottish estates put on the market after the independence referendum, has had £250,000 knocked off its price tag.
For generations the Borders estate in Peeblesshire, now on the market for £2m, was the seat of the Murrays, Earls of Elibank.
In 1752 the fourth son of the Earl of Elibank, Alexander Murray, was part of a plot to kill the king, storm the Tower of London and have Prince Charlie placed on the British throne.
The plans, known as the ‘Elibank plot’ proved to be an utter fiasco after promised financial support from Frederick II of Prussia failed to materialise and English Jacobite leaders got cold feet.
Their suspicions of treachery turned out to be founded after it was revealed a spy, who went by the name ‘Pickle’, had already relayed the plans to British ministers.
The property was first put up for sale nine months ago following a market slowdown as buyers awaited the results of modern day political upheaval in the form of the independence referendum.
It was hailed as a test of how estate sales would fare following the uncertainty around the vote.
Robert McCulloch, of selling agent Strutt & Parker, said at the time: “It will be one of the first country estates to be offered for sale since the referendum and it will give us an insight into just how strong the market now is.”
Speaking about the price cut Mr McCulloch said: “It has been for sale since the autumn. It was a test of the market.
“While there is appetite in the market some properties sell quickly and some don’t.”
The agent, who recently sold the £5.25m the ‘Monarch of the Glen’ Balavil estate in the Highlands which feature in the TV series, insisted the signs for the estate market as a whole are “encouraging”.
He added: “Elibank is a fantastic sporting estate in a beautiful setting which could be a great family home and has potential to be run as a business with income from farming, forestry, holiday letting and salmon fishing.”
The the core of the estate the beautifully modernised seven-bedroom country house surrounded by a mature gardens, grounds and woodlands.
Adjoining the house, and connected to it by a covered passage, is a cottage which can be let out to generate rental income as a holiday let.
The £2m price tag also includes the 2½ km of salmon and sea trout fishing on the River Tweed and extensive woodland, home to a population of roe-deer which provides the opportunity for year-round stalking.
