House plan for historic home

Businessman wants to alter flats

One of Bridge of Allan’s most historic buildings, turned into flats decades ago, could be returned to a single home.

Businessman Luigi Koechlin has submitted an application to Stirling Council planners seeking to make internal alterations to the current six flats within Westerton House off Gordon Crescent to form one house.

The house is more than 200 years old, having been built in 1803 after the former old manor house was thought to have burnt down. The architect was thought to be Dunblane man William Stirling.

According to “Bridge of Allan: A History” by local historian Craig Mair, the owner and commissioner of the new house was Dr John Henderson MD, a naval surgeon who died in 1822. The Hendersons acquired the Wester Town of Airthrey in 1682 and Dr Henderson was fifth generation, and seventh of that name, to enjoy the title of Laird of Westerton.

The new house, considered one of the most beautiful of its time in Scotland, was said to have some particularly quirky features including circular leaded windows “reminiscent of a captain’s cabin, visible at the back of the house”, to remind the owner of his naval days.

It eventually became owned by the Alexander family, who mostly rented it out to a succession of wealthy tenants.

Mr Mair wrote: “In 1926 Edmund Pullar, who had lived at Westerton House since 1912 - renting it from the Alexander family until he bought it in 1919 - died leaving no children.

In his later years Edmund was cared for by his niece Sophia Thompson, whose own husband had been killed in World War One leaving her with two young daughters. On his death she inherited the entire Westerton estate, comprising the mansion house and grounds etc.

“In 1930 Sophia married Captain George Irwin of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, in a service at St Saviour’s. They continued to live at Westerton House (which Sophia seemed to have regarded as very much her property) and then went on to have a daughter.

“Following the military use of Westerton House and the estate grounds during World War Two (the last Germans, whether POWs or agricultural workers, did not leave until 1948), Sophia Irwin sold her Westerton lands to Timothy Lucas, a company director. The lodge cottages and some paddock lands were sold separately.

“In 1953 Murray sold the house and grounds to Matthew Thom, an Airdrie building contractor. Although Mr Thom lived in Westerton House, he seems to have regarded the surrounding grounds as a future development site.”

The house has already had a fairly chequered history in planning terms.

Mr Mair’s book describes how, in 1961, Mr Thom applied for permission to build housing on 13 acres of the estate grounds. This was refused by the Town Council, but went to a public enquiry in 1962 and eventually to the Secretary of State for Scotland who in 1963 agreed that five acres could be developed.

In 1964 Mr Thom submitted controversial plans for several blocks of flats, each nine storeys high. When these were refused there followed several applications.

In 1966, however, Matthew Thom died. With the Town Council still refusing to approve any of his plans, the Westerton Estate was put up for sale.

Mr Mair adds: “After several years of failed negotiations, the Town Council finally bought the estate from Thom’s executors in early 1971.

“Soon the council was in negotiations with the Torbrex Development Company and its associates D & J Ogilvie (Builders) Ltd. Not surprisingly this company wanted to build on the entire estate, and in 1973 increased its original submission from 21 houses to 66.

“The Town Council eventually came to a deal, however, by which it bought 12 acres of the ‘west field’ for £30,000 and in return granted building permission for 52 houses to be build across the rest of the estate, and for Westerton House to be sub-divided into flats.

“According to the records of Bridge of Allan’s Dean of Guild Court, the house was converted in 1973 by Torbrex.”