The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Mixing business and pleasure
The owners of Lawmuir House have raised children and built up a successful ski holiday business from within the walls of the handsome Perthshire home. Now it’s time to hand it on to new owners
The large reception hall is big enough for a seating area and has a wood burner that casts heat around
A lot has happened in the lives of Nicola and John King since they bought Lawmuir House 23 years ago.
They’ve raised two children, built a ski holiday company from nothing into a thriving enterprise and set up a wine import business.
They’ve also found time to extend and modernise the sixbedroom country house that’s been their home for nearly a quarter of a century.
Lawmuir House sits in the hamlet of the same name, a short distance from the Perthshire village of Methven on the road to Crieff.
Dating back to the 1800s, it’s been extended several times since.
“I don’t know about further back but at the turn of the 20th Century it was owned by a Miss Miller of Miller Hendry estate agents,” explains Nicola.
“When we bought the house it was in pretty ropey condition so we spent quite a bit of time and money doing it up, and then later on we added the extension.”
In 2000 the couple took the existing garage and enlarged it, creating more downstairs space and a large upstairs room that’s currently used as an office for their ski company.
The couple own and run a hotel in France – Hotel Christiania in Les Gets. They employ staff to run the hotel through the winter and have one worker in Scotland who operates from their house.
“We used to have more here but the internet has hugely simplified the booking process,” Nicola continues.
As with many country houses, the kitchen is the heart of the home. A large Aga, Belfast sink, window seat with doors to the sunroom and a dining table make it a great place for relaxing.
The drawing room retains its original wood panelling and has a fireplace and twin-aspect windows giving views to the garden.
There’s an office/library, again with dual aspect windows and a fire.
The large reception hall is big enough for a seating area and has a wood burner that casts heat around the ground floor of the house.
Upstairs are five bedrooms, two with en suite shower rooms, and stairs to an attic level which is laid out as a guest room and storage.
The extension could easily be converted into a self contained apartment.
It has a lovely glass roof in its entrance hall, kitchen, bedroom and shower room.
There’s also a wine cellar – John imports wine from France and sells it to select customers in the UK.
The house is wrapped by a veranda on two sides – Nicola and John added one to the extension, complementing the original – meaning there’s always a sheltered spot to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. They also added the garden’s drystone walls.
With the couple’s children grown up and the business no longer requiring the number of staff they once did, Nicola, 58, and John, 63, are looking for somewhere nearby but a little bit smaller.
“I’ve loved this house and I want the next person to love it as much as we do,” Nicola says.