THE BSPC PROPERTY GUIDE / FEATURE PROPERTY
Page 15
An extended 18th century country cottage with letting potential within the Lammermuir Hills
Approximately an hour away from Edinburgh by road and just six miles north -west of Duns, the Berwickshire village of Longformacus is potentially one of those ‘blink and you’ve missed it’ places on the map – which would be a great shame as Kim White, who lived at Glebe Cottage on her own until her death last year at the age of 90, always referred to it as ‘a personal piece of paradise.’ Kim and her husband Charles bought the circa 18th century former coachman’s cottage in the 1970s as a secluded weekend retreat that was easily accessible from their home in Edinburgh. When Charles died in 1989 Kim decided to make the cottage her permanent home and had the property sensitively converted and extended to create a spacious and modern four bedroomed home that retains its original character and charm - and has an enchanting half-acre garden to complete what is an undeniably pretty picture. “My parents had different reasons to love this house,” recalls their eldest son, David Wardrop-White. “Mum was an amateur watercolour artist and the quality of light here to the north and south for painting is excellent.”
“My father, on the other hand, loved it because he could sit in the garden and play his favourite operas – Madame Butterfly and Tosca – as loud as he liked without fear of upsetting any neighbours.” Apart from its idyllic setting within the Lammermuir Hills, close to the route of the Southern Upland Way, the reconfigured size and extended layout of the cottage makes it an ideal family home or a holiday home / letting investment or B&B accommodation. Entered through a delightful wide porch that doubles as a sunroom, the accommodation within the original cottage building includes a formal dining room, three bedrooms (master with access to the garden) and a living room/snug. A second hallway continues into the extended section which houses a (fourth) bedroom, shower room (fitted for disabled access) and large open-plan kitchen/dining room, off which is a larder, utility room and door to the integral garage.
This property has many notable features, from the exposed stone wall and tiled floor in the original hallway, to varnished wood floors, timber wall cladding, and a well - equipped kitchen fitted with wooden units, LPG gas hob and extractor hood, and built-in oven and space for microwave. The adjoining utility room has space and plumbing for laundry appliances and includes a built-in airing cupboard (usefully, the garage also has a clothes pulley). Outside, the mature garden is a visual delight – a real old-style cottage garden with plants that attract wildlife, trees, shrubs, winding paths and drystane walls. The back garden is predominantly lawn with a fenced off vegetable garden to one side.
There is also an outhouse for additional storage and parking space for up to three vehicles. From humble beginnings as the home of the coachman to the local minister (glebe being an area of land that was assigned to the church and could be used for a variety of purposes to supplement the minister’s stipend), Glebe Cottage is now a desirable and adaptable property that offers peace and tranquility while still being within easy reach of local facilities and amenities in Duns and commutable to Edinburgh.
Glebe Cottage Manse Road, Longformacus, TD11 3PE
Offers Around £240,000 Details on page 26