A Georgian Country House, The Scottish Borders
Built in 1764 and listed at the highest category, this house presented the kind of management challenge that tests the limits of a conventional property firm. The owner — a senior executive based in Abu Dhabi — had inherited the estate and wished to preserve it faithfully while ensuring it remained habitable, warm, and in genuine good order.
Over six years of management, we have overseen a full roof restoration coordinated with Historic Environment Scotland, replaced the original cast-iron heating system with a discreet modern equivalent that met heritage approval, and managed the grounds — including a walled kitchen garden and formal parterre — through three changes of head gardener. The owner has never needed to attend a single contractor meeting. The house is inspected fortnightly and reported on monthly, without exception.
A Clifftop Villa, The Lizard Peninsula
Completed in 2009 by a London-based architectural practice, this striking glass-and-stone residence occupies one of the most dramatic positions on the Cornish coast. The owners — a family based in Singapore — use it for four to six weeks each summer and ask that it earn its keep quietly for the remainder of the year through a small number of carefully selected short lets.
Salt air, driving Atlantic rain, and the demands of discerning guests make this one of the more technically demanding properties we manage. We maintain a dedicated programme of corrosion treatment for all metalwork and glazing, coordinate specialist cleaning crews between each tenancy, and operate a storm response protocol that has prevented significant damage on two occasions. Every guest arrival is preceded by a full preparation visit. The owners visited last August and told us, unprompted, that the house was in better condition than when it was built.
A Regency Townhouse, Edinburgh New Town
A four-storey Category A listed townhouse on one of Edinburgh's finest Georgian streets, managed continuously for seven years on behalf of an owner based in Singapore. The property is occupied for approximately three months each year; for the remaining nine, Arcadia holds the responsibility completely.
Managing a listed New Town property requires a working knowledge of lime-mortar pointing, traditional sash window maintenance, and the expectations of Edinburgh World Heritage. We have developed strong working relationships with the City of Edinburgh Council's conservation team and with the specialist contractors who understand this type of building. In seven years of management, the property has not received a single formal notice from the local authority, and the owner's most recent survey returned the best structural assessment the property has received in forty years.
A Manor House, Chipping Norton
A honey-stone Cotswolds manor dating from the 1680s, with formal gardens, a walled kitchen garden, a heated outdoor pool, a tennis court, and two guest cottages. The owners — who divide their time between New York and Zurich — visit three or four times a year and expect the property to be immaculate on every occasion, regardless of the notice given.
This property is maintained to what we privately call a first-day standard — the condition of a home on the day it was first occupied. We employ a gardening team whose programme we set and supervise, maintain the pool year-round, and carry out a pre-arrival preparation of two to three days before every visit, however short. The kitchen is stocked with the family's specific preferences. The guest cottages are prepared alongside the main house. The owner arrived once with four hours' notice. Everything was ready.
A Private Loch-Side Estate, Perthshire
A 200-acre estate in Perthshire comprising a principal house, two estate cottages, a boathouse, and a range of outbuildings, managed for a Swiss-based family who use the property primarily during the summer months and for a family gathering each August. The estate generates modest income through a small number of annual fishing lets.
Managing a sporting estate requires a particular range of competencies — from gamekeeping liaison and deer management coordination to boat maintenance and forestry oversight. We coordinate a gamekeeper on a retained basis, manage the fishing-let programme, and oversee forestry work under a long-term woodland management plan. The August gathering brings up to thirty family members and guests; our preparation in the week before has never resulted in anything other than an entirely smooth arrival. The estate is inspected weekly, year-round.
A Modernist Villa, Hampshire
A 1970s architect-designed house in rural Hampshire — generous glazing, concrete frame, underfloor heating throughout, and a rooftop terrace that overlooks open farmland. The owner, based in Dubai, purchased the property as an investment in a building of architectural significance and wishes to see it maintained to a standard that reflects that intent.
Modernist construction presents specific maintenance challenges that most traditional property managers are ill-equipped to address: concrete carbonation, flat roof management, period glazing seals, and bespoke mechanical systems that require specialists rather than generalists. We identified and developed relationships with the relevant contractors in advance of appointment. We have since managed a full rooftop terrace waterproofing project, replaced the original underfloor heating manifold, and introduced a smart home system that allows the owner to monitor the property remotely. The building is in finer condition now than when we took it on.