Boss who looked to his laurels
THERE’S nothing l i ke a Victorian property. The sense of solidity, comfort, space and craftsmanship adds up to somewhere of real worth that cannot be emulated by modern builders. Dilkusha House i n Peebles, which occupies a great vantage point overlooking the town from the south bank of the Tweed, is one of these fine old houses.
Dilkusha – the name means ‘happy heart’ in Hindi – was built in 1897 and today this handsome stone house has been expertly refurbished, the period features providing an elegant backdrop to some modern additions.
The property was built for a prosperous Leith timber merchant, James Rodger, who brought timber from five continents to decorate his home. The craftsmen who worked on the house erected panelling in many of the rooms.
There is English oak in the living room and Oriental oak in the reception hall and staircase.
But the drawing room is the most breathtaking. Here, the carpenters fashioned Indian laurel i nto floor- to- ceiling panelling regarded as so exceptional it was dismantled and re-assembled at the British Empire Exhibition in London i n 1924 before being reinstalled in Dilkusha.
The house has a lovely – and practical – flow to the rooms, with the reception hall, magnificent drawing room, living room with small bar, sitting room, vibrant modern kitchen, study, office and laundry room.
The ground floor also contains a master bedroom with en suite while upstairs are f our more double bedrooms, all en suite, plus a sauna and shower room.
There are some superb marble fireplaces, elegant cornices, picture rails and stained glass.
Adjoining the main house is a self-contained wing named Ninian’s Bank. This is a generous space with a sitting room, dining kitchen, studio, two bedrooms, a bathroom and shower room. This could accommodate extended family or could be used as owner’s accommodation if the main property were used as a guest house.
The principal house and garden is available through Rettie & Co for offers over £665,000, or the house and Ninian’s Bank for offers over £840,000.