Presidential pad
The White House has masses of character, writes Jenny Shields
EVERY town has one, the standout property t hat draws admiring glances from locals and visitors alike. In Anstruther, the largest of Fife’s East Neuk villages, it is The White House, an 18th century property occupying a grand location on the foreshore.
Living in this sprawling townhouse, with i ts crow- stepped gables and snowy white render, is not for the faint-hearted. It is built virtually on the shore, protected only by the garden wall. And it is here that you can appreciate the full force of nature, with dramatic seas and skies all year round.
The White House, which is a grade A listed building, was built in 1760 for the soldier and politician Sir Harry Erskine. As with many houses of this age, the layout can be slightly clumsy for contemporary tastes.
On the ground f l oor i s an entrance hall, laundry, cloakroom, a bedroom and bathroom and a self- contained flat with a bedroom, bathroom and sitting room that has a small kitchen area.
This studio, which generates about £ 8,000- a- year i n rental income, has its own entrance but it can be used as part of the main house.
On the first floor are three lovely reception rooms. There is a formal dining room, a sitting room with timber floor and Adam style fireplace and the lovely music room, with a newly-laid oak floor, French doors to the patio and another Adam style fireplace. The kitchen i s on this floor, with another bedroom and bathroom. On the top floor are two bedrooms and a study. With 4,433 sq ft of living space, uninterrupted views of the Firth of Forth from virtually every window, elegant fireplaces, original Delft tiles and even a priest’s hole in one of the bedrooms, The White House has masses of character.
And the house is only nine miles along the coast from St Andrews, perfect for anyone who wants to be close to the home of golf. Offers over £695,000 to Knight Frank.