The palace up a close
Victorian apartment’s exterior belies its regal air, writes Paul Drury
It’s a suburban apartment fit for a queen. there may not be any Beefeaters at the gates, but there’s no mistaking it – this flat in Glasgow is a royal palace up a close. there are chandeliers aplenty, highly polished porcelain in the hallway and a veritable blizzard of swags and tails everywhere you turn.
the 10ft-high gilded mirror in the dining room took five men two hours to ease into position. Frankly, it would not look out of place in Versailles.
‘I know it’s a bit Ott,’ admitted owner Brian O’Neill, ‘and it won’t be to everyone’s taste.
‘But it’s my style that’s been put together over the years by cruising antique stores, junk shops and I’m totally obsessed by eBay.’
His Victorian tenement f l at stands on Darnley Road, Pollokshields, rather than Buckingham Palace Road, London.
Yet you don’t need to look too far to find some royal connections around here.
the fact that the street carries the name ‘Darnley’ is a direct reminder of scotland’s tragic ruler, Mary, Queen of scots. the local landowners, the stirling Maxwells, were strong devotees of our fallen monarch and, centuries later, insisted that, when streets were built in this south side suburb, they should be named after significant figures in her life.
so we have Fotheringhay Road, named after the Northamptonshire castle where Mary was executed in 1587.
then there’s the tribute to one of the doomed queen’s generals, William Kirkcaldy of Grange, in the nearby Kirkcaldy Road.
Finally, the flat’s address in Darnley Road is a reminder of Lord Darnley, Mary’s husband, who was brutally murdered near the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in 1567.
You are welcomed i nto this two-bed property via a stunning ‘ wally’ cl ose, decorated in colourful glazed tiles by Italian craftsmen brought over for the task in the 1890s.
When built, these apartments were considered so posh, they had domestic live-in staff whose names and occupations featured in the Census of 1911. An air of grandeur still pervades, thanks to high ceilings, sash and case windows and stunning, imposing fireplaces.
the property is being marketed as a three-bed but Mr O’Neill has elected to use one of them as his formal dining room.
the master bedroom features a handsome period fireplace with gas fire and an ornate pelmet above the curtains so expansive, it looks as if it requires planning permission all of its own.
the bay-windowed lounge has aspects to the front and side of the property, with picture rail, elegant cornicing and a magnificent chandelier which was sourced from a specialist in Edinburgh.
the modern dining kitchen comes with a standalone stoves stove, oven and hob.
the wet room has Villeroy and Boch sanitaryware and a large glass walk-in shower.
Viewers are being invited to take a good look around this regal apartment – by royal appointment, of course.
Offers over £305,000 to Alison Anderson of Rettie. telephone 0141 406 4999.