Feature The wow factor A house doesn’t need to have four walls and a tiled roof to be a home. Nigel Young discovers three properties that are fabulously different. |
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NIGEL and Anne Roberts live with their children, Thomas and Angus, on a 270-acre arable farm on the outskirts of Ednam village in the beautiful Scottish Borders. They run a large flock of sheep, produce organic eggs from free-range hens, and have recently moved into a new venture involving organic pig finishing. Their original home was a lovely traditional stone house but the couple had always had their minds set on creating something more unique. They decided to sell the farmhouse to provide funds to develop a housing project on the adjoining site which would then enable them to build their dream home. The Roberts approached family friend and local architect Ray Licence to discuss their initial ideas — an eco house with lots of wood, light and glass, that would be both economical to heat and environmentally friendly. Scottish Borders Council planning department was very supportive of the project, from the initial discussions regarding possible locations, to liaising with Ray. The family moved into a large caravan and a Portakabin and construction work began in May 2002. Natural materials and fittings were used wherever possible in line with the couple’s environmental beliefs and they were also keen to source as much of the building material as possible locally. After making enquiries they were put in touch with the Wood School at Harestanes, Ancrum who supplied and sourced all the finished green oak. To save energy, all the external windows and doors throughout the house were fitted with double glazed ‘K’ glass and the walls insulated with warm cell 6” insulation (produced from shredded waste paper which is then power blown through a pipe into position). The kitchen/dining/living area is one vast open space within the house, with lots of glass giving wonderful views over their fields to the hills beyond. The large round window set into the wall at the end of the room is particularly stunning. An Alpha range cooker sits at the heart of the kitchen. Mains gas supplied, it provides all the hot water whilst also powering the underfloor central heating system when required. A feature log-burning stove was also fitted into the open plan and although this seemed a good idea at the time, it has proved to be unnecessary as the house retains its heat so well. On the one occasion that the stove has been packed with logs and enticed into flames, it was so warm that even in mid winter with snow on the ground, doors had to be opened wide to let the heat out! The entire roof of the house is covered in sedum, an alpine rockery plant, which is both tough and extremely draught tolerant and rarely needs any upkeep, as it thrives best on dry sites. Another big attraction of sedum is the varied colour it displays throughout the year — as the months roll by the thick waxy leaves gently change through greens to red with the carpet of colour broken by white, yellow and pink flowers. Peering out from the centre of the curved sedum roof is a single round glass dome (above, right), through which the sunlight filters into the hallway and splashes light throughout the centre of the house. The family has had to endure numerous comments from friends in the local farming community with regard to the house roof, the favourite being that they should make maximum use of the farm’s potential by utilizing the roof for tethered sheep grazing! |
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IT IS 7 am on a cold and frosty spring morning back in 1835, and two black horses are being groomed to perfection, their leather harnesses polished till they gleam. As the sun casts its rays through the early morning mist, the driver guides the horses and carriage down the meandering drive of the Lees Estate to the Lees House. Awaiting collection at the appointed hour is the Marjoribanks family who attend Coldstream parish church for Sunday worship without fail throughout the year. As owners of the Lees Estate, they are well known and respected throughout the locality. Fast forward 170 years to the present day. The horses are long gone and the main section of the Lees Stables is now owned by Neil Aitken, a self-employed joiner and glazier. Neil, like the property he lives in, is a character. He looks and sounds like Rod Stewart and shares the star’s patriotic love of Scotland. He’s actually met him on several occasions through their mutual love of football. Back in 1990 Neil had been renovating a customer’s house directly opposite the then semi-derelict stables. When Neil showed an interest in the property (which was built around 1770), he was approached by the stables’ owner who asked if he’d like to buy it. The first job facing Neil as the new owner of the stables was to renew the roof and make the building watertight, which meant he could then move in and begin a live-in restoration. Approaching the open archway to the courtyard entrance, little has changed over the years, although local historians will recall that there was originally a fourth section to the tower which included a large clock face. The clock itself was removed at some point in the past and Neil would love to know what happened to it and if, in fact, it still exists. Whilst original on the outside, Neil has more or less constructed a new building on the inside. The symmetrical carriage houses on either side of the arch now include a large kitchen to one side, with an en suite master bedroom on the other. From these ground floor rooms, staircases lead directly up to the first level which houses a sitting room and bedroom, both of which have French windows opening directly out on to large balconies overlooking the cobbled courtyard. Also on the same floor are the main bathroom and a guest bedroom. A further two bedrooms are located on the upper levels which then lead to the open tower area with its roof decking and ornate planters. Ideal for sunbathing or barbecuing, it’s a perfect venue for entertaining friends in the evening and admiring the lovely all-round views over Coldstream and the Lees Estate. Visitors to the stables are greeted by a copy of the sign which originally adorned the archway entrance, stating that ‘any vagrants or beggars passing through these gates will be taken to the constables at Coldstream’! Neil now has other plans in his life, and to finance these he’s regrettably selling his wonderful home in the near future. So if anyone out there wants a unique building with a tower and turret, watch the Scottish Borders property guides. |
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IN 1807 construction work commenced on two lighthouses, the Low Light and the High Light, for North Shields. Located on the banks of the River Tyne, they were built as navigation aids for ships arriving in the Fish Quay. North Shields was then at the peak of its shipping trade with cargoes including salted herring, iron, wheat, nitrates and tar, most of which were transported to and from the Baltic and South America. Completed in 1810, the Low Light at seven storeys tall and around 100 ft high was the larger of the two buildings, and its substantial construction meant it was designed to last the test of time. Stephen Morse and his partner Kristina purchased the Low Light back in 1999 and set about the daunting task of converting the Grade 2 listed building into residential use. The Morse family come from a strong fishing background. Stephen’s grandfather worked as a fishing boat skipper in Sunderland, and the family then moved to North Shields in 1962 shortly before Stephen was born, where his father built up a fleet of five fishing boats. Stephen, who runs his own industrial screen-printing business in North Shields, has somehow managed to find the time to take on the huge task of renovating the lighthouse, together with the attached three-storey building, which was offered for sale at a later date. Although practically beyond redemption, the extra space of the attached property has allowed Stephen to construct a garage, kitchen and bathroom over three levels, all of which are now directly accessible from the original lighthouse. Gas central heating has been installed throughout, connected to period radiators which were sourced locally. One particularly interesting part of the project was the shower. After viewing everything available and deciding nothing fitted in with his own idea, Stephen contacted Roman Showers to ask them if he could buy three sets of their glass and uprights to construct his own unique version of one of their showers. The managing director was so intrigued by this that he offered everything free of charge provided the company could photograph the finished version. Stephen routed a figure of eight base to shape in marine ply. After it was plumbed in it was covered in miniature mosaic tiles, and the shower panels were then arranged to fit around an open plan walk in design. The whole shower is free standing and located off centre in the vast bathroom. Chrome uprights produce vertical jets of water which combine well with a traditional overhead spray. Stephen also tracked down a magnificent Victorian enamel bath with claw feet from a local salvage yard, which is also free standing in the bathroom. All of the woodwork in the tower was originally either Scots pine or Douglas fir and this has been retained or replaced wherever possible. All the original curved windows have been replaced with replicas to the original specification. Stepping out on to the tower top, it’s possible to walk right round the building, protected by its original cast iron safety rails, and enjoy 360-degree views. The main tower building itself has over 130 stairs, and as Stephen plans to run the top level as his home-based office, he finds it can be quite annoying when you reach the top only to realise that you have left something some seven storeys below! Photography by Nigel Young, NYPD Scotland |
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