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Dating from 1803, a house in Livingston Village is a surprising find, says Kirsty Mcluckie

Livingston, in West Lothian, is famously one of Scotland’s new towns. Designated in 1962, the area has seen a transformation over the intervening years from open farmland to a sizeable town famed for its retail outlets.

Most visitors will bypass Livingston Village with its quaint cottages, coaching inn and pretty church which gives an idea of what was there before, but the Georgian manse at 1 Main Street is still something of a surprise.

It certainly was to Catherine O’day and her husband Bill when they first saw it 21 years ago.

Catherine says: “We didn’t think we really wanted to live in Livingston but we didn’t really know about the village. The house is tucked down a lane and isn’t overlooked so it feels like it is in the country.”

It was also very well positioned for commuting into the city, where both Catherine and Bill worked, as it is only a 15 minute walk to the station.

The manse, which dates from around 1803, had been sold off by the Church of Scotland, who had built a modern manse in part of the garden.

There had been one previous owner in the intervening time, but they hadn’t stayed long, so Catherine says when the O’days took it on it was largely untouched.

“Unfortunately it had been empty for a year and a half, so there was quite a lot of work to do, especially in the garden.”

The upgrading that they have carried out both inside and out since taking over has trodden a fine line between restoration and modernisation.

Catherine says: “The garden needed a lot of work, but we were told that it had been beautiful and that the minister would hold garden parties here so we got some help in and spent a couple of years clearing out and replanting.”

Inside the house, the couple have replaced an old oil-fired central heating with a new gas system and very carefully adjusted the interior so as not to spoil the traditional feel.

This was partly because they wanted to be sensitive and partly to adhere to the rules of the B listing for the historic house.

Catherine says: “We had to work with planners and Historic Scotland to make any changes but we were happy with that.”

Improvements included adding a new window in the kitchen to let in more light – no mean feat when the walls are three feet thick – and opening up a sitting room and the minister’s reception room to form a larger family room.

It is a sizeable house, with a separate drawing room with a more formal feel, three big bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor including the master bedroom with its own ensuite and dressing room, plus three bedrooms on the top floor.

These would originally have been servants’ quarters but the couple opened up the stairway and second floor became a haven for their three sons, Steven, Chris and Paul, who were 12, 10 and six when they moved in.

Catherine says: “One bedroom has beautiful views over the village, while another looks over the graveyard.

“The boys couldn’t wait to have a Halloween party the first year as they felt that bedroom was perfect for it.”

As for living next to a cemetery, she says: “I suppose you love it or hate it, but we have never minded. You can only really see it from that bedroom as there is a stone wall between it and our garden.”

The window halfway down the stairs has a lovely view of the church too.

One area of the house which is not so traditional is the kitchen, which the couple have replaced twice.

Catherine says: “As it is absolutely the heart of the home we wanted it to be modern and have a big breakfast bar where everyone could sit.”

The couple also added a conservatory on the west gable.

The other main rooms, the dining room, drawing room and two master bedrooms face south, and are very sunny during the day, but the conservatory was designed to catch the light all day long and into the evening.

Catherine says: “Historic Scotland had to approve the style, the level of stone and every detail even down to the exterior colour, which had to be heritage green.

“We were quite happy to take their advice because we always wanted everything to be in keeping with the house.” 1 Main Street, Livingston Village, West Lothian. Historic B-listed manse with six bedrooms, a drawing room, family room adjoining the dining room, dining kitchen and utility room. Sizeable conservatory and large mature, walled garden. A short walk from Livingston North station with direct trains to Edinburgh and Glasgow.