Home to film magic

Fri, Oct 6th 2006, 11:00

Families and film lovers gathered at Redrow’s Heather Lea development in Lanark to catch a glimpse of the four-wheeled megastar from the classic 1968 film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Three lucky children even got to ride in the much-loved car after winning a painting competition held on the day.

The unique motorcar, designed and built especially for the wonderful motion picture, received a massive welcome from excited children and nostalgic parents visiting Heather Lea.

Colin Crombie, operations director for Redrow Homes (Scotland), said: "The day was absolutely brilliant and even after more than 38 years Chitty Chitty Bang Bang still pulls in the visitors."

The car made its appearance as part of a day of fun and movie magic, which also featured a face painter and balloon artist, as well as characters from the film, including the car’s inventor, Caractacus Potts, Truly Scrumptious and the bombastic Baron Bomburst.

 

Although several mock-ups of Chitty were made for use in the film only one real, custom-built, original automobile was painstakingly constructed to be used on the road. The car is street-legal and is registered as a motor vehicle in the UK with the same registration as in the film, ‘GEN 11’.

 

Colin added: "We’re really grateful to Chitty’s owner and guardian Pierre Picton for giving us the chance to bring a bit of movie magic to Lanark."

Creating some magic of its own, Redrow has just opened two striking new show homes at Heather Lea to entice buyers with a tantalising view of how their new home could look and feel.

The four-bedroom detached Otter has a backdrop of neutral creams with splashes of raspberry red, black and pinks for maximum impact. Mirrors are used to good effect to reflect natural light and to enhance the feeling of space that this ideal family home enjoys.

Next door, the four-bedroom Parrett show home uses a sophisticated mix of chocolate, creams, teal and turquoise to create a very modern and contemporary living environment, but again with the family market in mind, with two of the bedrooms decked out for a teenage girl and a rugby-mad boy.

Among the properties currently available at Heather Lea is the four-bedroom detached Ribble design from £207,500 - with its very own ready-made ‘loft conversion’. The roof space of this home has been cleverly converted to create a luxurious master bedroom with fitted wardrobes and en-suite.

The rest of the bedrooms and family bathroom are on the first floor and the ground floor features a lounge, separate dining room and fitted kitchen with built-in Zanussi double oven, hob and chimney style extractor.

Current prices at this stylish development are from £189,500 for a three-bedroom bungalow and from £199,995 up to £228,000 for a four-bedroom detached house.

Heather Lea in Lanark is located 27 miles from Glasgow and 34 miles from Edinburgh in the beautiful lower Clyde Valley. The town has a strong agricultural tradition and is home to one of Scotland’s busiest farming markets. The easily reached M74, M73 and M8 offer convenient commuting and there is a regular train service from the town centre station to both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

 

To find out more, visit Heather Lea, off Hyndford Road, Lanark and view the two new show homes, call 0845 676 0509.