THE BSPC PROPERTY GUIDE / FEATURE PROPERTY
Location is key to a three-storey riverside house overlooking the Kelso Junction Pool Picturesque locations in this historic Borders town don’t come much better than Belmont Place, a B-listed terrace close to the 12th century abbey and next to the Rennie Bridge, with fabulous river views over the famous Junction Pool, created by the confluence of the Rivers Tweed and Teviot. Number 30, at the far end of the terrace, has river frontage and a beautiful mainly south-facing ‘secret garden’ enhanced and re-stocked in the last four years by the present owners to include a sheltered decked seating area, paved patio, lawn, apple trees, and kitchen garden. Built in the early 1700s, the house is believed to have formed part of a coaching inn before the bridges were built – the present bridge, named after its designer John Rennie who made it a scaled-down version of the Waterloo Bridge he designed for London, dates from 1800 and was built to replace an earlier bridge that was washed away in the floods of 1797. Old it may be, but the interior of this three-storey, five bedroomed house is in exceptionally fine condition throughout, having been extensively upgraded in the last few years by the current owners. The list of improvements made includes re-plastering all the walls, re-decorating, installing a new boiler, new kitchen, bathroom, new period-style fireplace and Living Flame gas stove, and building storage cupboards below many of the windows (forming the foundation and potential for window seating, a considerable asset in a house with views as good as this).
The accommodation, accessed by an attractive entrance porch and tiled hall, includes a large living room, dining room, and fabulous 18ft contemporary-style kitchen with outline planning to extend further. On the first floor there are three bedrooms – the 17ft master bedroom currently displays a four-poster bed - and a spacious, well-equipped bathroom with tiled walls and over-bath shower, while up on the second floor, reached by a permanent carpeted staircase, are bedrooms four and five, both good-sized double rooms with fitted bedroom storage – the outline planning granted for a kitchen extension also includes creating toilet facilities between these two bedrooms. Extensive as the accommodation is, there’s more besides. Stairs in the hall lead down to a basement area that spans the footprint of the property and has existing windows and a shower room - and, most importantly, its own external access. This additional space has immense potential for a variety of uses, including being made into a self-contained granny flat. The property also has a drive-through-style garage with electrically operated doors front and back, and an adjacent sunroom currently providing storage.
Individual features are too many to mention but include architectural details such as elegant curved alcoves, original cornicing, oak flooring, and a white marble fireplace in the dining room with inset Living Flame gas fire. The re-fitted kitchen has timeless Shaker-style wall and base units with pewter handles and contrasting worktops, plus a large red, twin-oven Aga with overhead extractor and a recessed American-style stainless steel fridge freezer, and integrated dishwasher. While this is a very lovely and beautifully presented family home, it’s the setting that gives it wow factor. The garden and views of the river are spectacular, as is the access through a gated path beyond St Andrew’s Church with its cobbled lane down to the Tweed. It’s leafy, tranquil and loaded with atmosphere, but also a short walk from Kelso’s town square and shops - an enviable property indeed.
30 Belmont Place Kelso Offers Over £400,000 Details on page 10
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