THE BSPC PROPERTY GUIDE / FEATURE PROPERTY
An extended and meticulously upgraded Victorian villa in Hawick with a few surprising extras It might be the biggest and most expensive single-item purchase most people make, but invariably the buying decision is made on instinct – gut feeling as opposed to anything tangible. That was certainly the case when Alison Halkerston viewed her detached Victorian villa in Hawick for the first time in 2001. “It’s such a beautiful house with great character and a real kind of presence about it,” she explains. “It also has really beautiful gardens and because the house stands in the centre of the plot, you don’t feel you are near anything else, despite being close to the town centre. On a more practical level, the fact that the house had recently been completely upgraded was a factor in the decision to buy; having renovated a Victorian house in the past, it was good to just be able to move into one that didn’t need anything done.” Living in the house has since added another tick to the list of benefits – silence. “Most period properties creak and groan a bit, but this is a very quiet house,” Alison adds. Although restored and upgraded, Belmont has retained its traditional period features and has a few extra ones besides, such as fully operational antique fireplaces. Ornate plasterwork, panelled doors and window surrounds, terrazzo-tiled entrance vestibule and beautiful bay windows merge seamlessly with more recently added modern conveniences like double glazing, gas central heating, and a stylish fitted kitchen.
Arguably the main feature is the extended kitchen at the back of the house, which is open-plan to a dining/family room with French door access to the garden – a really splendid family space for everyday living. Also on the ground floor is an attractive entrance hall, 20ft drawing room, dining room (both rooms with bay windows) and inner hall, off which is a sitting room/study, shower room and utility room. Upstairs are four good-sized double bedrooms (master with extensive fitted storage/wardrobes) and a period-style family bathroom with Victorian roll-top bath. Individual features provide added wow factor to the interior of this lovely home. The drawing room has an ornate cornice but that takes second place compared to a bronze fireplace with tiled hearth and classic wood surround. Similarly, the dining room has a cast iron fireplace with tiled insert and wood surround – the study/sitting room also has a cast iron open grate fireplace, while the fabulous open-plan kitchen and living area at the back also has a cast iron feature fireplace on a narrow end wall. Almost 20ft in length, overall the kitchen /living area has exposed ceiling beams in the kitchen part, which is fitted with cream Shaker-style wall and base units and tiled splashbacks.
Appliances include a gas hob, cooker hood, wall-mounted oven and integrated microwave oven. The adjacent dining / family area has French doors that open on to a veranda. Belmont’s mature and well stocked gardens are a delight and incorporate a side lawn accessed through a pergola, two paved sitting areas – one next to an ornamental pond complete with fountain and rockery – an extensive rear lawn and range of fruit trees with a wall of conifers providing a side screen, and at the end of the garden (accessed from Orchard Street), there’s a double garage – and an unexpected addition, a timber stable block with two loose boxes on a concrete base and adjoining timber shed/feed store or tack room. There is also a range of small but useful outbuildings, including a freezer room and a dog kennel and run. An exceptional example of a Victorian house, Belmont has all the elements that combine to make an ideal family home.
Belmont, Wellogate Brae, Hawick Offers Over £290,000 Details on page 19
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