QUAY TO THE DOOR

An art gallery and adjoining house in Aberdour have been beautifully renovated and restored by their owner. Jack McKeown explores a property that is quirky, unique and completely charming.

The Quay Gallery is one of the most interesting and unusual properties to come on to the Fife property market in a long time. An art gallery and attached house, the B-listed property sits on Aberdour High Street. The pretty coastal town’s award-winning beach is just a short stroll away and the High Street has an agreeable bustle to it.

The gallery and adjoining house was bought by William Allan Coutts Dawson in 2014. A talented artist in his own right, William paints stylised landscapes and architectural montages.

The 55-year old bought the property in 2014. It had previously been a butcher’s shop and memories of its past life still linger on in the gallery. The ceiling retains the rails and hooks that would once have hung meat. Meanwhile beautiful original tiles still adorn part of the walls.

When William bought the Quay Gallery the adjacent house was in a diabolical state. “It was completely derelict and had been empty since World War II,” he explains. “It was used as a plumber’s store for a while. The ceilings were caved in. Part of the roof had collapsed. There was no electricity or plumbing. Some of the rooms were hellscapes of mushrooms.”

Nonetheless, William saw potential in the dilapidated old structure and time has proven him right. Eight years on, the Quay Gallery is a wonderful, enchanting building.

“One of the things I love about it is how it’s changed and developed over the years,” he continues. “The earliest parts of the building date from the 17th Century. It has had alterations and additions in the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries.”

ART GALLERY

The gallery itself occupies number 31 and 33 High Street and the house is number 29 High Street. In practice, William’s home and work spaces overlap and blend together.

“The table in the gallery is great for laying out pictures but when I’m entertaining it also becomes the dining space,” William explains. “It’s very special having a group of friends eating together in the gallery surrounded by all the artworks.”

Art adorns not just the gallery but virtually every wall and shelf of the house itself. The fascinating and diverse collection comes from all over the world and has been collected over a lifetime of travels.

A narrow ornate wrought iron spiral staircase in the gallery leads up to a charming loft studio which is currently rented by a seamstress called Sarah. When I visit she’s working on costumes for the Alhambra’s Christmas panto, with her friendly rescue dog Ruby keeping her company.

WORK AND HOME

A doorway from the gallery leads through to William’s office. It has black and white tile flooring, a desk and sofabed – and, of course,

plenty of art on the walls. “I spend a lot of time in here,” William continues. “I don’t like to hover over people so when someone enters the gallery I say hello then retreat through here and let them browse. This room can also be used as a guest bedroom when I have people to stay.”

The other side of the office leads into the house itself. The black and white tiles are continued in the kitchen, which has high end cabinets and appliances. A deep pantry has its own window.

The hall continues past an under-stair utility room towards the master bedroom. This ground floor room has original flagstone flooring. “We dug down through several layers of floor coverings and found the original flagstones,” William says. “We lifted them all and numbered each one individually. Then we insulated beneath the floor and carefully relaid the flagstones.”

A small stone bothy in the garden has been connected to the main house. Today it forms a superb dressing room and en suite shower room, complete with Travertine stone tiling.

The beautiful bathroom sink comes from William’s holiday home in France. “I brought it back in my hand luggage on a RyanAir flight,” he says. “It fitted in my rucksack but it was so heavy my face was puce by the time I got on the plane.”

GARDEN ROOM

Signal Architects are based next door to the Quay Gallery and William used the firm to design a wonderful garden room for his home. This encloses part of the courtyard garden with a triple glazed roof and patio doors. There’s a nod to Aberdour’s coastal location in the pebbled flooring. “That was a nightmare to lay and cost a fortune but I’m still delighted I did it,” William says of the pebbled finish.

Behind an exposed chipboard wall is a small third bedroom that’s perfect for guests. A skylight window above the bed has an electronic blind so guests can have the option to sleep looking up at the night sky.

Nowhere is the house’s history clearer than in the staircase, its stone treads worn and uneven from centuries of footfall.

At the top of the stairs a nice reading nook houses William’s collection of books. Beyond this is the living room. This beautiful Georgian room has dual aspect sash-and-case windows with original shutters, an exposed stone wall and a living flame gas fire. There is a small dining area and a nook with a chaise lounge for reading.

Most of the rooms have been stripped back to the bare stonework and fitted with a thick layer of Kingspan insulation to make the house more efficient to heat.

NEW ADVENTURE

The garden is as unique and special as the rest of the house. There is an old well that would once have supplied water to the property. The stone boundary wall features original beehive recesses. A stone trough has been made into an attractive planter. And there is a timber and glass garden pod that rotates and is the favourite spot of William’s nieces.

After eight years at the Quay Gallery and 22 years in Aberdour, William is moving on. The Quay Gallery sold within a short time of going on the market. It has been bought by another artist who plans to continue running it as a gallery.

William is moving up the coast to Stonehaven. “I’ve bought an old Georgian house there,” he says. “It requires a lot of work and is another project property. Once it’s done, who knows – I might look out for somewhere I can open another gallery.

“I’m 55 years old and I feel like I’ve got at least one more new adventure in me.”

Number 29, 31 and 33 High Street, Aberdour was on sale with Thorntons Property for offers over £450,000.

The gallery and the house have been restored to a high level but they also maintain the character of the old buildings and a stunning garden has been created with its own well. But one of the highlights is the garden room with its pebbled flooring.