Return to glory
Peeling back centuries of wallpaper, paint, plasterboard and tiles, one couple uncovered a Georgian gem
One couple bring a Georgian gem to life
Modernised to a poor standard and left derelict for five years, Lunan Bank Farmhouse wasn’t the most enticing property on the market. ‘When we came upon this house the interior was frankly hideous, with scant trace of anything original,’ says Arlene Munro-Wise. ‘Surfaces that weren’t wallpapered were covered in Artex, while the woodwork had so many layers of paint any detail was lost.’
But Arlene and her husband David have a great track record of rescuing old houses and they could see beyond the mould and damp interior of the 200-year-old Georgian farmhouse.
Having restored their own 400-year-old home in France and then spent nine years undertaking restoration projects for clients, the couple were forced to sell up when the recession hit. They moved to Scotland, where Arlene had been born and brought up, and rented a house in Angus for 18 months while they looked for something suitable to buy. Then Lunan Bank Farmhouse came on the market.
‘Fortunately, the original features had merely been covered up and not removed, so while it was a challenge to undo all the damage, it didn’t faze either of us,’ says Arlene.
As the property was B-listed – the equivalent of Grade II in England and Wales – it took six months to get planning permission before they could begin renovation work. ‘We wanted to open up the roof spaces, expose the trusses and create new windows and rooflights to make it brighter.
‘I would say the most arduous aspect of the renovation was stripping out all the modern finishes – cement screed, foil-backed plasterboard, plasticised paint and anything that was preventing the house from breathing. David and I did most of the laborious work ourselves – for my part the biggest challenge was removing layers of gloss paint covering the original stone treads on the Georgian staircase.’ As they worked, helped whenever possible by Arlene’s son Robin,
31, who lives in London, they made some amazing discoveries. Paint was stripped off to reveal a black marble fireplace in the living room. Covered-up windows saw the light of day. Original window shutters, tightly screwed shut and sealed with paint, were stripped to reveal the natural wood and freed to open again. But the most joyous moment was finding the original, time-worn flagstone floors in the hall and the kitchen. ‘The kitchen floor had been covered in shiny black tiles and teamed with red gloss-painted Artex walls and dark pine units,’ says Arlene. ‘Some of the flagstones were damaged but we were able to repair them.’
Undoubtedly, the most dramatic transformation is the kitchen. Arlene and David stripped the room back to basics to expose tactile pinkish stone walls and ceiling rafters. They also installed four Velux rooflights and glazed double doors to the garden, and replaced an existing window.
‘We chose units that came ready for painting, which I did myself in a soft shade of grey that contrasts with the white used throughout the rest of the house. The units and central island are topped with white Italian composite quartz work surfaces and all the appliances were bought online,’ she says.
A key feature is an old door suspended on a sliding wheeled mechanism against the kitchen’s exposed stone wall. Battered and studded with monster-sized nails, it’s 400 years old and was carefully transported from the couple’s former home in France. ‘My brother rigged up a suitably ancient-looking sliding system to hang it from,’ adds Arlene.
The ground floor layout is adaptable, which suits the couple’s lifestyle perfectly. Leading off the kitchen now are a newly created cloakroom, study and living room, reception hall and two rooms that could both be bedrooms – one furnished with a
‘This project was a mission to restore the historic detail while also
adding contemporary materials and products to make a home liveable and comfortable again,’
SAYS ARLENE
four-poster bed, while the adjoining room is currently David’s gym but could equally be a fourth bedroom.
Upstairs are two further double bedrooms and the main bathroom. ‘Our bedroom was dark so we added another replica window to give the room a dual aspect, and we reinstated the original ornate fireplace that had been boarded up. I designed a simple surround to frame it, which the plasterer made for us,’ Arlene explains.
While the house is still an ongoing project, Arlene and David can now afford to take time out to enjoy nearby Lunan beach and explore the Angus countryside and coastline. ‘For us this project was a mission to restore the historic detail while also adding contemporary materials and products to make a home liveable and comfortable again,’ says Arlene. ‘I think we’ve succeeded and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved.’