Riverside spot brims with Sixties chic

Meadowland is a beautiful example of mid-20th century modernist style, discovers Kirsty Mcluckie

Modernist houses designed by Edinburgh architectural practice Morris and Steedman are some of the most striking buildings erected in the 1960s and have a unique style which is incredibly redolent of that era.

Most are listed, and the firm’s work includes the Principal’s House at Stirling University which is a stunning example of A-listed mid-20th century styling.

Between the late 1950s and 1970, the practice only completed about

15 private houses in Scotland and so when one comes on to the market there is an understandable flurry of interest among enthusiasts.

Meadowland, on Isla Road in Perth, was commissioned in 1964 by owner Muriel Leather and her late husband, Russell.

Muriel says: “It was a lovely plot, right on the riverbank.

“It had been the kitchen garden of an old Victorian house which was long gone.”

The couple had moved from Edinburgh and, although they had lived in a modern house previously, this was their first build.

Muriel comments: “We were familiar with Morris and Steedman’s work, we had friends who knew them and we really liked their work.

“In commissioning the house it was a case of telling them that we wanted a single-storey house and how many bedrooms we needed and letting them get on with it.

“We really didn’t have much input beyond that, but trusted them. Every house they have built has been different so it was very exciting to see what they came up with.”

A decade on Muriel and her husband returned to the practice when planning an extension, a guest pavilion including two bedrooms, a bathroom and a triple garage.

The resulting new part is joined to the older building by a beautiful glass walkway.

It means that Meadowland is one of the very few Morris and Steedman houses that stays absolutely true to their design ethos. It is as impressive today as it must have been when first built in the 1960s.

The site is exceptional with wide views of the River Tay and almost every room looks out onto the water.

Externally the house is topped by a curved roof which is practical as well as beautiful, as it hides a water tank.

The curve softens the look of the long and low house which is so unobtrusive, and sits so well in its surroundings, that even someone passing by on the river might miss it.

Inside, the wooden ceiling of the main living space curves upwards in a dramatic sweep to encompass a bank of highlevel windows, which is a feature Muriel says the architects were keen to attempt because they hadn’t done it before.

It makes for a light and airy space with sliding doors to a dining room tucked below the windows on one side, and a smaller sitting room, currently used as a library, with a floor-to-ceiling window on the other.

The interior is finished in handmade brick, the windows are mahogany and the hardwood floors are of Canadian maple, giving a real mix of textures.

The interior design matches the look of the house perfectly and little has changed