BSPC Featured Property For Sale

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The Blue House in Duns is a colourful character home with an impressive provenance

The Georgian period is synonymous with the age of elegance however, as it spanned the reign of four King Georges from 1714 through to 1830, stylistically is ranged between elegant simplicity and baroque ornamentation.

But what Georgian architecture – modest or grand - invariably adhered to were its key elements; a symmetrical facade, square or rectangular plan and windows of equal size, all of which are evident in The Blue House in Duns, a substantial Georgian terraced townhouse that has been painstakingly upgraded to create a character home that meets the needs of modern day lifestyles.

The Blue House, Duns

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The Blue House, Duns

The first feu on this property dates from 1623, while the earliest record of the house was 1762 when it was part of the Duns Castle Estate. According to records it was sold ‘in a ruinous state’ in the 1820s, likely using the original stone to reinstate the building.

Today, the Blue House in Duns stands out owing to its coloured harling – now a more muted shade than when it was first painted around 50 years ago – and aesthetically pleasing symmetrical facade.

Present owner Julia Wright and her husband bought the house six years ago, despite the fact that having come from Swinton they were looking to downsize and live in a town.

Featured Property The Blue House, Castle Street, Duns, TD11 3DG

Offers Around £240,000 • Details on: Page 32

“We got the town bit right but managed to move up in size, not down,” says Julia, who confesses they both fell in love with the threestorey property’s unique charm and character.

“When we bought the house the wall was completely obscured by dense foliage that had to be cut back to allow the wall to complement the planting,” adds Julia.

In the interim the couple have added a garden room extension that provides a tranquil place to sit in the sun and admire the view of the beautiful walled rear garden.

Internally, every room has been decorated and finished with an attention to detail its original owner would have been proud of, including opening up and reinstating original fireplaces and lining the flues.

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“We got the town bit right but managed to move up in size, not down,” says Julia, who confesses they both fell in love with the threestorey property’s unique The ground floor entrance hall features solid oak flooring, the original timber staircase, built-in storage and a door to the rear garden. Off the hall is an inviting sitting room with windows to the front and rear – the focal point being a stone fireplace with slate hearth housing a cast iron log-burning stove.

The hub of this home, however, is undoubtedly the spacious open-plan dining room/kitchen, which can be accessed from both the sitting room and the hall. This is a beautiful room that effortlessly mixes old and new to superb effect with new oak flooring perfectly matched to blend with oak wall panelling that came from the boardroom of the Fountainhall Brewery in Edinburgh, while the kitchen is fitted with quality units, integrated appliances (wine cooler included) and has a slate-tiled floor.

Completing the ground floor layout is a cleverly designed wet room with wet wall panelling and ceramic tiled flooring – and the most recent addition, the garden room, a delightful space with access to the rear garden and cupola-style windows that flood the room with light. A built-in cupboard provides a discreet home for a washing machine; another cupboard serves as a useful cloakroom; and finishing touches include a ceramic tiled floor and contemporary steel radiator.

charm and character.

The first floor houses a beautifully proportioned drawing room with double aspect windows and working shutters, stone fireplace and hearth with recessed log basket, and polished floorboards.

Although used at present as a reception room, this room could equally be an additional bedroom if required. Also on this level are two bedrooms – both with front-facing windows and working shutters – and a fully tiled bathroom with over bath shower. There are two further double bedrooms up on the second floor (one with an ornate cast iron fireplace) along with a large walk-in cupboard with internal lighting that could be converted to a shower room.

Outside, the walled gardens extend round to the rear to provide a very private and quite exceptional space that gets the sun all day long and into the evening.

There are paved seating areas, neat lawns, fruit trees, shrubs and long-established borders and flowerbeds planted to provide year-round colour and interest. The property also includes a stone-built workshop/studio with power and light installed. Currently used as storage, it offers scope for myriad uses.

The Blue House is a wonderful character home in move -in condition throughout – a real Borders gem in every respect.