Style that’s timeless
Rural home boasts finest Edwardian and Victorian design details
DANIEL Shields must have been very good at his job. For the 19th Century Glasgow merchant spared no expense when it came to designing his retirement home. The style of Drummonie, a classic Edwardian country house, would have been considered radical at the time it was built, around 1912.
Then, homeowners were moving away from Victorian tastes and embracing modern forms of design, such as Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts.
The architect of Drummonie, in Comrie, Perthshire, appears to have borrowed from both styles, with an extensive use of wood in the hall and decorative glass, particularly in the downstairs loo.
Here, hints of Charles Rennie Mackintosh can be detected in the stained glass windows crafted in the Glasgow Style.
The property’s owners say this is one of their favourite rooms and they enhanced it by adding period wallpaper and terrazzo flooring.
The wooden wainscoting to waist height sets the room off perfectly.
The Edwardian period is considered by many as the heyday of British homebuilding, in terms of quality of design and materials.
Subsequent decades would be affected by both a shortage of materials and lack of builders due to the First World War.
Drummonie has a lovely, harled exterior under a steep-pitched slate roof, enhanced by red sandstone decoration around the doors and windows. The windows are typical of the period, with astragals to the upper-half and plain glass below.
The property was built in a circular style to bring the apartments close together, possibly to make it easier for Mr Shields to navigate his home. All of the main rooms are accessible off the hallway – the dining room, sitting room, drawing room, breakfast room, kitchen and study. While they retain the Victorians’ love of fireplaces, the ceilings are not so high, so you get a less formal, cosier atmosphere.
The open-plan family room/ kitchen, which opens to the garden through French doors, is a 21st Century addition to the property, accommodating the family’s desire to spend time together. But it says much about the original design that the house can take this structural amendment and not appear uncomfortable with such a change.
The kitchen is modern and attractive, with wooden-topped units, a two-oven Aga, plus Miele microwave, oven and gas hob, integral dishwasher and sink with circular breakfast bar.
Upstairs, the galleried landing has been arranged in a U-shape, with roof light above. The real star of the show here is the master bedroom, which comes with a dressing area and bathroom, complete with free-standing bath and shower compartment.
There are five other good-sized bedrooms, arranged in a similar fashion to the ground floor around the central hallway.
The mature grounds extend to 1.24 acres, with tall trees lining the perimeter. A number of outbuildings were designed in a manner complimentary to the house, with the addition of a clock and weather vane on the roof. These comprise a potting shed, gardener’s WC and a large games room, with store.
Comrie is a pretty village, with shops on its main street and an active community spirit.
It is estimated there are 70 different clubs in the village, so you are not likely to be short of a friend or two. It is just the place to spend a happy retirement.