KEYS TO KNOW
Leafy surroundings and a beautiful home with plenty of space. What’s not to like, asks Kirsty Mcluckie
The Grange area of Edinburgh was conceived to lure Victorians from the bustle, noise and dirt of the city centre with large houses and gardens set in broad tree-lined avenues.
It is a walk of a mile and a half or so into Edinburgh’s business districts and you can imagine a well-off Victorian gentleman relishing the exercise, safe in the knowledge that his family live in a more refined location than the city could offer.
Most of the advantages of the area are exactly the same today.
Unlike the New Town, homes in the Grange are mostly detached, there are few parking problems for residents and instead of postage stamp gardens, the outside space of the best homes can be measured in acres.
Many of the larger houses are now divided, and have been for decades, but are still substantial.
This is the case with 52 St Alban’s Road which was split into an upper and lower villa about 50 years ago.
Jean Robinson, who bought the lower half five years ago, says it is unusual in that it has an upstairs. “I have a third and fourth bedroom up a staircase at the back, they must have been servants rooms because they have combed ceilings.”
The presence of servants would have been crucial to the working of these larger homes, without them, they are too big for modern families, but split and reconfigured, they offer many of the same advantages and still have plenty of space.
No 52 St Alban’s Road is particularly private. Despite being half a house, the entrance and driveway for the upper flat is in another street.
Inside the property has the original drawing room with bay window and wooden shutters, ornate cornicing and a grand fireplace as a centrepiece.
On the other side of the hall is a living room connected to the dining kitchen.
Jean says of the property: “This was an opportunity for me to live in the city for the first time – my children are in Queen Street and Drummond Place – but I didn’t want to compromise on the feeling of space so this was ideal.”
The previous owners had carried out a substantial upgrade of the house, but that isn’t to say Jean hasn’t put her mark on it in her time too.
A major addition which she carried out was the sunroom, which is west facing and surrounded by a terrace.
She says: “It has just opened up the whole side of the house and makes it feel like you are in the garden. Even in winter, I rarely have heating on in there because the expanse of glass seems to capture the merest flicker of sunshine and warmth so it is always cosy.”
The project was carried out with minimal disruption. Jean says: “It was essentially an outside wall to begin with, so they built the extension and when it was almost complete they knocked through to the kitchen.”
She took the opportunity to replace the flooring so that it flowed from kitchen to sun room, and to install underfloor heating but that involved dismantling the fitted kitchen and then reinstalling it.
Jean says: “It is a handmade kitchen which has been designed perfectly for the space, so I didn’t have any thoughts of replacing it.”
The ensuite bathroom has also been redone in her time here, she says: “I just wanted something with a little more pizazz”, but that could be true of her interior decor throughout.
She has a keen eye, particularly for fabrics and wallpapers, and has worked with Edinburgh-based designer Derek Baillie on this house, as well as on previous homes.
She says: “We have worked together for about 25 years. I have the idea and he helps me realise it.”
Her bold choice of wallcoverings come from Tracey Victoria Interiors in Edinburgh. Jean says: “It is a favourite shop and I love to pop in and go through pattern books looking for inspiration.”
After the building work, the terrace was laid outside the sun room. It is a beautiful spot for entertaining or just sitting quietly with a drink and is remarkably private.
Jean says: “The house and the garden have been perfect for me. When I moved here I was leaving behind the upkeep of a whole big house, but I still ended up with a lovely liveable home that feels really spacious.” 52 St Alban’s Road, the Grange, Edinburgh. Four bedrooms, one ensuite and a family bathroom.