Stunning farmhouse comes with ready-made business

Brawliemuir farm was in desperate need of TLC when the Duvall family arrived. Ellie House found out why it will always be special

When Carole Duvall arrived at Brawliemuir farm with her husband, Stephen, and the couple’s two small children, she never imagined that the sprawling home would turn into a successful family business.

For whoever takes on the beautiful four-bedroom farmhouse looks set to inherit eight acres of land complete with chickens and sheep, not to mention two holiday cottages which have welcomed dozens of guests.

It was the land which first attracted Carole to the spot in Johnshaven near Montrose, as she dreamed of keeping a horse again.

She will be taking her ‘old boy’, Crackers, with her on the move alongside her two dogs, Barley and Fynn.

Now a proud grandmother, Carole is hoping to move to Edinburgh to be nearer to her two grandchildren.

She’s also hoping to be closer to Edinburgh airport because she often flies out to see Stephen, as he works in the Netherlands.

On her own admission, leaving Brawliemuir behind will be exceptionally difficult, as it is where her two children, Emma and Michael, grew up.

“It’s going to be awful and although I’m very excited for the future, this is going to be the end of a very happy chapter,” said Carole.

“We moved to Brawliemuir in 1992. It needed an awful lot of TLC but we loved the land that came with it.

“I wanted to start keeping ponies again and Crackers has been very happy here.

“I’ve also got a small flock of Hebridean sheep and it would be lovely if the new owner would consider taking them on.”

Extensive work has been done to Brawliemuir, from an extension which has created an extra bedroom to a new kitchen and a conservatory.

The kitchen has all the charm of a farmhouse kitchen complete with modern appliances, including an Aga.

The lounge has a lovely wood burning stove and is the perfect room to relax in, whilst the dining room offers more formal entertaining.

You could always head through to the stunning drawing room however, which opens out to the conservatory.

“The conservatory is where you get the amazing views, it’s fabulous to sit there in the summer,” said Carole.

“We’ve been really lucky to have so much space on offer and then there is the stunning view all the way down to the sea.”

Completing the downstairs accommodation is a bedroom and a well-appointed bathroom.

Head upstairs where there are three generous double bedrooms alongside a shower room.

It is perhaps the grounds which offer the most tempting opportunity however, and will also be hardest for Carole to leave behind.

“We converted the sta-

Photograph: Jim Irvine Carole Duvall with Crackers at Brawliemuir farm.