THE BSPC PROPERTY GUIDE / FEATURE PROPERTY
Page 9
Perfectly Period – a ‘joined up’ Georgian property in Duns with added potential
Built around 1800, Blythbank is an example of Georgian architecture at its finest, a substantial B-listed property in Duns incorporating all the best known Georgian characteristics – chimneys on both sides, large 12-pane sash and case windows with working shutters, a perfectly symmetrical front with steps up to a pillastered entrance and front door with a semicircular fanlight, and an interior that has beautifully proportioned rooms with high ceilings and focal point fireplaces. The five bedroomed house, which is located close to the town centre, has a similarly impressive setting, standing within secluded garden grounds extending to around 1.7 acres. But there’s more to this property than you might imagine. A single-storey section added in Victorian times links the main house with the original coach house and stable buildings situated at the rear, both of which have more recently been converted to provide office space (currently three offices and WC) with a self -contained apartment above (fitted kitchen, sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and private garden).
This additional space gives Blythbank enormous potential for combining a home and business, given the property has broadband and six telephone lines with 15 telephone points.
And a formal dining room with an archway through to a similarly spacious music/games room with French doors to a paved patio – both rooms with white marble fireplaces.
Original features are here in abundance, including decorative plasterwork, an entrance hall with a tiled floor and stunning Prince of Wales plaster ceiling, and black and white marble fireplaces. The accommodation is over three levels and includes a basement accessed by stone stairs from the hall, which houses a well equipped 20ft kitchen with a window overlooking the front garden, a wine cellar, utility room with plumbing for laundry appliances, large workshop, and a boot room.
Off an inner hall on the ground floor (well supplied with storage cupboards as well as a door to the rear courtyard) is a lovely south-facing room, which could be a fifth bedroom or study - or even a kitchen if a new owner wanted to move the kitchen up from the basement - and a small but very pleasant sun room with a tiled floor and glazed door to the garden. Also off the inner hall is a passageway that, in turn, leads to another small hallway with stairs up to the self-contained apartment wing.
The elegant entrance and hall leads to a beautiful drawing room with windows on two sides, and a black marble fireplace with tiled surround and hearth (open fire).
Blythbank Station Road, Duns, Berwickshire
Upstairs on the first floor of the main house is a master bedroom with en suite dressing room, three further bedrooms – one containing a cast iron fireplace – and bathroom with a white four-piece suite and over-bath shower.
In Region of £575,000 Details on page 6
The large dining kitchen has freestanding units and a large central island with solid wood worktops. It also has an oil-fired Aga, Belfast sink, and wood panelling to dado height and within display alcoves. The other kitchen, which is in the one bedroomed apartment, also has wood paneling, in addition to a stripped wood floor, fitted units, two large shelved cupboards, Belfast sink, built-in hob and oven, and plumbing for a dishwasher and washing machine. The mature gardens are a lovely feature, secluded by trees on all sides and incorporating lawns, shrub borders, and stone steps – an old garden that is all the better for it. Blythbank is a beautiful period home close to all the amenities available in nearby Duns, including the new high school. It’s also within commuting distance of Edinburgh – 45 miles by road or by train from the mainline station at Berwick-upon-Tweed (15 miles). If Georgian architecture gets your vote, this house is a must-see.