A turn for the better
Look no further if you want a converted rural retreat, says Paul Drury
It is most people’s idea of domestic bliss, a picture postcard property in the heart of the countryside. Waterton Mill ticks all the boxes required for a romantic rural retreat and even comes with its own pond, adorned with a rustic water wheel.
Yet the house sits on the edge of Ellon, in Aberdeenshire, bringing many of the town’s attractions within walking distance.
the opening of the Aberdeen by-pass later this year will also shorten road journeys to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
‘It has been a joy to live here for the last 20 years,’ said owner John Hampson, who has recently retired.
‘the house sits on the edge of the town yet it feels like you are in the country, down a single-track tarmac road.
‘It’s nice to have open fields on one side, complete with the ruins of the Castle of Waterton, yet you can walk into town in 15 minutes along the banks of the River Ythan.’
Mr Hampson says the current summer has been the best he has experienced in two decades, bringing the garden alive in a colourful profusion of plants and shrubs.
His home was once a working mill, used to wash the fleece of sheep. the stream was re-directed and the agricultural property was converted to a residence in 1994.
the star of this particular show is the kitchen-cum-sun lounge, which boasts a full-height arched window at the spot where the original working wheel stood.
the gardens are mature and well-stocked and enjoy a high degree of privacy.
While water may have once gurgled past this peaceful haven, the liquids you are likely to encounter in the garden now tend to slip down at sundown. Cheers.
Offers over £440,000 to Moyra Cormack at Aberdein Considine, Ellon. Tel 01358 724 902 or email mcormack@acandco.com