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BSPC FEATURE PROPERTY
A cottage in Langholm that has history, character, Scotland has many notable old and historic properties and Number 1 Parliament Square, although not of baronial proportions, is most definitely one of them.
The new layout makes this a deceptively spacious as well as aesthetically pleasing home.
One of the oldest buildings in the centre of Langholm, it dates from 1707 – ironically in light of the forthcoming referendum the year Scotland and England became one country under the Act of Union – and is thought to have originally been two sheep drover’s cottages.
Off the tiled entrance hallway is a sizeable living room with two windows overlooking the cobbled square at the front, dining-size kitchen, large bathroom, utility, sunroom with views over the garden and patio doors to a pebbled patio, and a double bedroom with full-length fitted wardrobes.
Nowadays the interior looks very different, but the property has retained a few gems of historic interest, including a date stone above the back door, original fireplace and the remains of an ancient bread oven.
Upstairs are two further double bedrooms, one of which has a rear-facing dormer window and a stylish en suite shower room, the other also a double room, with good storage and a Velux window overlooking the garden.
John and Carol Mills bought the cottage three years ago when work brought them to the town from Glasgow. “We just loved it instantly,” says Carol. “It has the most fantastic hidden garden at the back. However, it did have a tiny bathroom, so we reconfigured the layout to create a large downstairs bathroom with a roll-top bath and turned the original bathroom into a utility. We also turned the downstairs dining room into a bright and spacious dining kitchen and opened up the back door, which had been walled up. That’s when we discovered the date stone,” she adds.
Taste is always subjective, however, the design and presentation in this instance is so attractive it seems hard to imagine a new owner would want to change anything. In an exemplary merger of old and new, it features neutral white decoration throughout, panelled latch doors, a reclaimed inglenook fireplace incorporating the remains of an ancient bread oven – and in contrast, an Italian log -burning stove and space for storing logs. The bathroom has a traditional roll-top bath, chequered floor tiles and heritage fittings, while the piece de resistance is a stunning bespoke country-style kitchen with solid beech worktops, contrasting red subway tiled splashbacks, original exposed stone feature wall and stripped wooden floor.
BSPC FEATURE PROPERTY
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style . . . and a simply stunning secret garden The house is gorgeous and then just when you think you’ve seen it all comes this home’s utterly unique selling point – an extensive and very private rear garden, with a sheltered patio and storeroom and steps leading up to the garden proper, which incorporates a lawned terrace, productive vegetable plots, specimen shrubs and planting designed to attract wildlife, an exquisite Japanese water garden and pond, further patio seating area, and a top lawn with a summerhouse. There is also a side driveway for parking – and a flagpole. Carol refers to the garden as ‘a wonderland.’ But then this property is in a league of its own in every respect. The layout has more space than could ever be imagined looking at it from the outside; the interior is immaculate and beautifully designed/upgraded with quality fittings; and the garden is completely unexpected in size and content. The location is equally desirable. Langholm is a picturesque town with the River Esk running through its centre. Historically, it was at the centre of the Border Reiver insurrections and is also the birgh place of Thomas Telford and the modern poet Hugh McDiarmid.
It offers an enviable lifestyle, combining excellent local facilities and amenities – golf, theatre/concert venue, new primary school, high school, shops and services, with the south of Scotland’s most beautiful scenery and countryside on the doorstep.
1 Parliament Square, Langholm, DG13 0JG Offers Around £190,000
Details on page 42