THE BSPC PROPERTY GUIDE / FEATURE PROPERTY
Page 13
An outstanding ‘must see’ traditional cottage in the coastal village of Coldingham
Dating back to the 1820s, Holmleigh is an outstanding C-listed stone-built semi -detached cottage in Coldingham, one of Berwickshire’s loveliest coastal villages. Located in an area known as The Bogan, the cottages here were originally occupied by weavers and this particular four bedroomed cottage was a single storey building until a second floor was added in the 1900s. Having listed status has been largely responsible for Holmleigh retaining most of its original features, while the interior has been sympathetically upgraded in recent years to include all the necessities of modern day living, including en suite facilities. Gill Fox bought the house three years ago. With two young sons she was attracted by the location and being an easy 10-minute walk from Coldingham’s famous Blue Flag beach, and by the homely feel of the house and its picturesque setting, with a stream and waterfall at the bottom of the lane (the original weavers’ cottages all border the stream at the back). “The house is very secluded without being isolated and the village has excellent local amenities,” Gill adds. Recent improvements made by Gill have generally made the house and garden more useable and family friendly.
A large shed in the terraced rear garden was removed to create an area of decking, while inside the house, Gill has expanded the kitchen space, installed a downstairs shower room, and reworked the layout upstairs to provide three bedrooms and an en suite bathroom.
The second double bedroom has built-in storage/wardrobe space and a full en suite bathroom with limestone tiled surround and basin splashback and mirror with integrated lighting. The third bedroom comfortably accommodates a three-quarter-sized bed and freestanding furniture.
Character and history are evident throughout the interior of this beautiful country home but particularly so in the traditional wood paneled front door, which has period wrought iron hinges, latch and ironmongery. It opens into a vestibule area/cloakroom where features include original wood paneling and another door into the hallway with coloured glass inserts and glazed side and top panels. The hall, which has a hardwood staircase, internal doors and finishes, makes good use of a sizeable under-stair cupboard to house a plumbed in washing machine.
Natural light, which is often lacking in very old houses, is abundant in this one. The sitting room, like the main bedroom upstairs, has windows on two sides, while the main focal point is a beautiful fireplace with cast iron grate (coal fire), copper canopy, coloured tile inserts, tiled hearth and wood surround.
The ground floor layout comprises a front-facing sitting room, adjoining dining kitchen, bedroom four/study (attractive tiled fireplace), and shower room, the latter with wood paneled walls to half height and an extended rectangular shower with sliding glass panels and power shower. Upstairs off a well-lit landing are three bedrooms – one being particularly large and luxurious (larger than the sitting room downstairs), complete with period fireplace and three large windows on two sides of the room.
Next door, the dining kitchen overlooks the rear garden with one window benefiting from a window seat. Other features include wall and floor units with white Shaker-style doors, wooden butcher-block worktops and tiled surrounds. A large cupboard provides larder storage and there’s a Belfast sink, oven, four-ring induction hob, integrated dishwasher and a back door to the garden.
Holmleigh, 1 The Bogan, Coldingham Offers Over £250,000 Details on page 25
In front of the house, on the other side of the Bogan, is a good-sized two-car parking area belonging to the property. More surprising still is the terraced garden at the rear, which has three distinct areas - one planted with wild flowers and shrubs with a stepping stone path leading to a ‘secret’ seating area; a second with lawn and a decked section; the third and lowest terrace also lawn, a very private space with high beech hedging on three sides. The village of Coldingham is regarded by many people as the jewel of Berwickshire’s coastline, an area of great natural beauty with many attractions, including the nature reserve and bird sanctuary at St Abbs, while Coldingham’s highly rated beach is a Mecca for surfers and divers. An outstanding location as befits an outstanding house.