The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Nautical but nice
A stunning formershooting lodge in the heart of Glendevon may have a sea-going theme but boasts a riverside location second to none. Helen Brown surveys the scene . . .
AVICTORIAN shooting lodge built in 1880 for local landowner John Bald Harvey — whose coat of arms with the inscription “Garde Bien” (Watch Well) is at the rear of the building — Glentower House is a period home with a style all its own, merging beautiful original and historic features with a classy contemporary slant that makes it an ideal family home.
It has six bedrooms, a large open-plan ground floor with french window leading to a deck area almost 50 feet long — and an extensive garden including both banks of the River Devon, with trout aplenty for the keen fisherman or enthusiastic gourmet.
There is also a striking, five-storey castellated tower, ornate chimney pots, cast-iron downpipes and gutting with spiral decoration. The nautical element comes in the form of the tower staircase, built round a former ship’s mast and circular portholestyle windows on the north side. One of the bedrooms also has a ceiling shaped like the upturned hull of a boat and a bay window with views over the river.
When John Harrison and his family — he and his wife had two children aged nine and 12 — decided to move from Edinburgh about seven years ago, they were looking for somewhere central that would still allow them to get away from it all.
Marketing and internet consultant John explained: “I used to travel through Glendevon quite a bit, on the way to and from playing golf at Gleneagles, and I had seen the striking gates of the house from the road. Then I saw a picture, decided we had to see it in real life and that was it, really, although the first time we came up, we couldn’t go in!
“The place had been left for quite a while so a lot of work needed done — we weren’t actually looking for a project and certainly not one as major as this turned out to be. But it had such a beautiful setting, was so accessible and had so much to offer, we decided to take the plunge.”
Over 16 months, the main house was taken back to basics and revitalised with the floors taken up, ceilings taken down, rewiring done and central heating replaced, plus new kitchen and bathroom facilities. “Every floor needed something,” John commented. “But we wanted to maintain
“Sitting outside or on the balcony at the right time of year is just beautiful”
the traditional, original feel of the upstairs rooms with f ireplaces, plasterwork, cornices etc. On the top floor, for example, there was a room we reckoned might have been a nursery but turned out to be a former chapel, complete with painted ceiling.
“One of our neighbours’ daughters had done a project on the house and knew a lot of the history and the story of John Bald Harvey. We also had a visit last year from an old lady who had the house years ago who remembered what it was like and she was bowled over.
“In terms of modern lifestyle, though, the place we could really go to town was the ground floor. We called in one main building firm and a lot of associated local trades — I did some hands-on labouring at weekends and my wife got involved in the interiors.”
In what now forms the heart of the house, narrow windows and a former public bar — “some of the locals remembering coming to it!” — called the Gun Room were replaced with an open-plan space with two sets of french doors to the outside, bringing the river views into play where there was no previous direct linking between the interior and exterior. A large deck sweeps round the house, also taking in the adjoining two-bedroom Lavender Cottage, predating the main house and believed to have been built about 1780. It is currently used as a holiday let, but that has potential to add a further bedroom suite.
“The guy that built this place owned a lot of land and property around here and knew what he was doing about views — this house is south-facing and really makes the best of them. Sitting outside or on the balcony at the right time of year is just beautiful.” From that balcony, a timber staircase and path lead to the water’s edge and to a footbridge over the river.
Now that both children are away from home in Glasgow and Edinburgh and with work commitments still calling, a move back to the capital is looming. But the Harrisons as a family will miss Glentower.
“It’s been a great party venue and a great place for the kids to grow up in — an adventure house, perfect for hide and seek!
“We’re really sorry to leave but I think the one who will miss it most is Charlie the dog. It’s such a perfect spot for him to run around carefree and really enjoy life!”