Loyd of the Manor
A Conversation with Andrew Loyd & Townsend Rose
If living like a Scottish lord is your fancy, Loyd’s your man. He’s sort of King of the Castle Experience. His portfolio of mostly ancestral homes includes a mix of Georgian manor houses, Victorian castles, Edwardian homes, 15th-century tower houses, Palladian villas, and shooting lodges. True royal treatment is courtesy of the homes’ full staff and Loyd himself. He can arrange everything you’d need to make the most of the Gaelic country life, from an afternoon of falconry or clay pigeon shooting, to having Wellington boots awaiting you at your manor.
Andrew Loyd co-founded Loyd & Townsend Rose in 1999 in order to promote Scotland’s finest houses and castles for private and corporate use. He previously spent 10 years in hotel management for top London properties, followed by eight years managing private estates for some prominent New York families, which took him throughout the US and Canada.
POE TRAVEL: What is it that you do? Besides, obviously, making dreams come true.
ANDREW LOYD: We are like a very expensive dating agency except instead of finding you a partner we find you the perfect castle or manor house to rent for a vacation or special celebration. We only deal with the very best estates that we can find, and all our homes are “reassuringly expensive.” We offer no seasonal rates, discounts, or particularly good deals. These homes are for the “well- travelled CEO and his family,” and, as well as arranging your property, we will take care of every facet of your stay from start to finish. LTR offers the ultimate “concierge service,” and we have been looking after top US guests since 1999, so we hope that we really understand what this level of client needs and expects!
PT: We know there a lot to choose from, but what’s just one special experience you’ve arranged for a client?
AL: We have had fun sending guests by helicopter to Bruichladdich distillery on Islay for a private tour with the manager who helps guests then blend their own barrel of whisky and design their own personal label. Ten years later, they will receive 300 bottles of their own blended and branded whisky—great 50th birthday present. Sadly, the distillery has been sold so we are looking for a new one to help us with this experience.
PT: What do you find most gratifying about what you do?
AL: Our clients are primarily coming with their children and grandchildren, and the tales of families having fun together and enjoying real quality time in these amazing locations is what I think always touches me the most. Often they are just chilling at the castle playing games or running around having fun, but they are in a totally private environment and they truly escape the busy world that they normally inhabit. Luxury is a very overused word, but our clients often say that this sort of privacy is “true luxury.” Three-hundred-year-old mansions imbue an atmosphere of gentle tranquility, and you escape into a bygone era. It’s very Jane Austen.
PT: Choosing just one might be impossible task, but do you have a favorite property?
AL: We have a contemporary home on the west coast of Scotland called Corrour lodge which sits in an estate the size of Los Angeles and is surrounded by five munros, three lochs and which has its own private train station. It is straight out of a James Bond movie! When you are there the atmosphere of the place is amazing. It is a rural wilderness and incredibly beautiful. The night skies, the wildlife, and the landscapes are endless, and you feel almost privileged to experience a place like this. If you enjoy walking, mountain biking, canoeing, and a rugged terrain, combined with fabulous locally sourced food, this estate is heaven.
PT: Where do you like to travel when not working?
AL: Before the wall came down, I used to love Communist countries like Poland, Hungary, and Bulgaria as the simplicity of their cultures was actually very refreshing to experience and there was never anyone around. Then Cuba became a favourite, but finding an old school communist country is hard these days and North Korea sounds a bit grim. Walking in the mountains of the Haute Savoie in France is another happy place for my wife and me.
PT: What’s always in your carryon?
AL: Books—I’m obsessed with political biographies.