The Herald - The Herald Magazine
The best new homes on the market
THIS SISTER TO GLASGOW’S TEMPLETON ON THE GREEN IS NOW AN EXTRAORDINARY FAMILY HOME –
THERE is no mistaking Aros, a distinctive Arts and Crafts villa in a stunning seaside location. Its unusual, colourful exterior – a mix of whinstone rubble with polished red sandstone ashlar dressings, blue timber details and full height wall head chimney stacks – is eyecatching and the house itself has a sensational architectural pedigree.
Local property expert Cameron Ewer explains: “Aros is one of the finest examples of a William Leiper property in the West of Scotland.
“Superb architecture and a dedicated custodian have combined to create a fabulous home.”
Aros was designed by William Leiper in 1881 for the Reverend McCloud. The current owners are big fans of Leiper, who lived in Helensburgh from the early 1870s and became the town’s most prolific and influential architect.
With the coming of the railway to Helensburgh, fashionable money poured into the town and Leiper was well placed to design villas for his wealthy clients.
From his offices in Glasgow he continued to work on major projects in Glasgow and beyond. His achievements include the Gothic Dowanhill Church, Camphill Queens Park Church, the banqueting hall of the Glasgow City Chambers and the magnificent Templeton Carpet Factory, an iconic building thanks to Leiper’s extraordinary use of polychrome brick, glazed ceramic and mosaic as external decoration.
Despite its unquestionable grandeur, Aros is a comfortable, welcoming family home set in landscaped gardens of around one acre, with lovely views over Gare Loch.
Inside, it retains many of its original features including leaded windows, fireplaces, coving, waxed wood banister, balustrade and panelling.
Mr Ewer, of selling agents Savills, explains: “It is worth noting the efforts of the current owners to not simply inhabit and enjoy this historic property, but to add elements of quality and comfort as well as highlighting the key components of a Leiper house.
“An example would be the magnificent wood flooring in the drawing room and dining room and the beautiful staircase, previously painted over, which has been stripped back to the original wood.”
He adds: “The fine open fireplaces, in the hallway and dining room, and the fireplace in the drawing room have been restored to the original sandstone.”
Aros is a spacious, bright house, and the attention to detail by both previous and current owners is obvious; from the impressive arched inner doorway to the entrance hall and the stylish kitchen, to the fantastic galleried landing and exquisite Art Deco family bathroom.
The kitchen is a great space – a blend of oak wooden work surfaces and polished granite combines with a hand painted high quality wood kitchen, complete with centre island, a Smeg range cooker and separate larder and china cupboards.
“The accommodation flows very well,” agrees Mr Ewer. “The opening between the dining room and drawing room creates an impressive entertaining space with deep
The owners have enjoyed this property and added elements of quality and comfort
bay windows at either end show-casing the panoramic views across the Gare Loch.”
The ground floor comprises the main reception rooms – dining and drawing rooms, kitchen and spacious utility room, complete with Belfast sink.
The first floor is home to four double bedrooms, three of which have beautiful bay windows. The master bedroom also has a raised platform making the most of the superb views.
The grounds, which include expertly planted gardens complete with bluebells in the spring and colourful shrubs in the summer, also feature a large terraced area, pretty lawns and the impressive Coach House.
Built in 2000 (and subsequently nominated for an architectural award), The Coach House comprises a three-car garage on the lower floor and a fantastic onebedroom apartment upstairs.
Ideal for guest accommodation, or a home office (if you can concentrate, with all those views to distract you from whatever you are working on) or even a bolthole for an independent teenager, the apartment includes cathedral-style vaulted ceilings, an open plan living room, kitchen area and bedroom, plus woodburning stove and a separate wet room with an unusual glass ceiling.
The location is fantastic – Rhu is a pleasant Conservation Village on the east side of the Gare Loch where many lovely homes and gardens are found along a belt of low shore.
Its friendly community is centred on its church, primary school and yachting life, as Rhu is the home of the famous Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club.
Helensburgh is around three miles away, home to a range of excellent amenities, shops and schools, while rail and road links to Glasgow and the rest of the central belt are close by.
Mr Ewer sums it up.
“Aros truly is a home for all. Spacious yet comfortable reception rooms, a subtle yet unquestionable grandeur to the property and one of the ultimate names in Scottish architecture attached to the design – it has been finished with an appreciative attention to detail and it is one of the finest examples of a family home to have come to the local market in recent years.”