A nine-room Scottish mansion formerly owned by Genesis is up for sale, though we should advise potential buyers that it may need some work.
Located on the Isle of Mull, Pennyghael House, purchased by Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford in 1985, is currently listed by estate agents RightMove, who are seeking offers of over £180,000 from interested parties. Given that the members of Genesis are reported to have invested in excess of £500,000 for the estate, which includes "about 11.9 acres" of land, and that the property was put on sale for offers of more than £5 million in 2021, this seems like quite a bargain, but the present owners admit that the historic country house is in need of some love and attention.
According to The National, after selling the mansion in 1997, Genesis were accused of allowing the house to fall into a state of dereliction: in 1992, civic trust director John Gerrard told Scottish newspaper The Herald, "The building is listed and known to be in a poor state of repair. Its owners are responsible for keeping it in a better condition."
A spokesman for the progressive rock superstars responded: "The house was damp. Genesis meant to demolish the two wings and restore the main building. However, restrictions imposed by the trust and steady criticism has halted the work. Why the house is listed baffles me. It would probably cost more today in recession to restore the house than the whole estate is worth on the market.”
The RightMove website listing states, "Once the focal point of Pennyghael Estate, the house now lies in a derelict state but offers a wonderful opportunity for the next custodians to either restore the current house or develop a new property elsewhere on the site, subject to the necessary permissions being obtained. Planning permission was granted in 2007 for the demolition of parts of the existing building and restoration of the remainder."
Well, that clears that up, in case anyone was worried that the estate might be a land of confusion.
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