Des res with its very own holy history

A 19th Century manse in a wonderful rural setting offers a lovely balance of traditional and contemporary – and there’s an unexpected extra, as Helen Brown discovered

Set in the Howe of Strathmore, Moberty is a C-listed red sandstone house in its own private grounds. Typical of its period – it is thought to date from the mid-19th Century – it has a symmetrical front elevation with astragal windows. It has an attractive staircase and the accommodation is arranged over ground and first floors.

There are several period features, including sash and case windows, working shutters, brass door furniture and open fireplaces.

The reception rooms include a drawing room with open fire, marble hearth and surround, ceiling rose and windows on two sides.

This connects through to the study. Overlooking the garden and on the opposite side of the hall from the drawing room is a sitting room with a slate hearth, fire surround and fitted shelving.

The formal dining room leads off the sitting room and houses the alarm system and the original service bells. It also has a fireplace (currently disused), with Delft-style tiling and a slate hearth and surround.

The dining kitchen incorporates wall and floor units, a ceramic hob, a fouroven gas-fired Aga and a dishwasher – the dining area is spacious enough for a large table. This is lit by a double glazed roof and french doors that lead out to the garden.

On the first floor, there are three bedrooms. The master has a dressing room with fitted wardrobes and an en suite shower room. The two further double bedrooms both have fireplaces and fitted wardrobes. These bedrooms share a bathroom.

Former kirk

Moberty was built as a Free Kirk manse and the grounds are also home to the former Free Kirk of Airlie, dating from 1843.

Constructed of stone, it has a pitched slate roof and latticed windows. The south-east corner features a commemorative plaque celebrating the life of the Rev David White, who was minister of the parish for 40 years until 1963. (The kirk was de-consecrated in the mid 1960s.)

As one of the sellers explained: “The chapel has an interesting history.

“It was linked to Kirkton of Airlie and services were held there once a month. Sunday school was held there every week and one of the neighbours used to bicycle to the chapel each Sunday to collect the wood and light the fire for the boiler to warm the main body of the kirk.”

Although the kirk is currently used as an outbuilding for storage, Christmas services were held there in the early 1990s and prior to that the previous owners held their daughter’s wedding there as well as a charity concert to raise funds for research into motor neurone disease.

Planning permission was granted in 1989 for a change of use from a kirk to two residential units and although this has now lapsed, it may be possible to reactivate it. It is officially known as the Old Free Kirk, Airlie and is B-listed.

“Sense of home”

The sellers’ family history at Moberty spans over 20 years, as they explained.

“When the house was bought by our mother and step-father, it needed a lot of work but they had great vision as well as building experience – they had previously converted a steading in the Carse of Gowrie.

“They were a great team and wherever they lived, they created a real sense of home. They also created the most wonderful gardens from scratch, both at their previous home and also at Moberty.”

The grounds extend to approximately 1.8 acres. The south side features a large area of lawn sheltered by a range of trees including ash, beech, cherry and conifers.

A summer house overlooks a pond that has a small island that can be reached via a wooden bridge.

The more formal garden to the east, combines a lawn, two herbaceous borders, a stone wall to the north with a variety of climbing plants and a covered kennel and wood store sited on the southern wall. This area of the garden connects the house to the kirk and is extremely private.