The art of craftmanship in every detail

A major refurbishment has made a Dumfriesshire gem fit for another century, reports Kirsty Mcluckie

Amile to the west of the Dumfriesshire village of Moniaive, Glenluiart is an absolute gem of an arts and crafts home set in its own grounds with a walled garden, paddock and four cottages.

It was built in 1900 for Ellen Montieth, the wife of a local minister, who had been widowed a few years before, and therefore obliged to move her young family out of the tied manse.

She was obviously a woman of some means, and happened to be the sister of eminent London architect, William West Neve, who she commissioned to design her new house, perhaps explaining its striking appearance which stands out among the vernacular.

Inglenook fireplaces, mullioned windows and wood panelling give the house its romantic feel and makes it a fine example of the style.

Nick Singer and Neil Johnstone bought Glenluiart in 2012, knowing that it would need a substantial overhaul.

Nick, who is an accountant, and Neil who works in plant science, fortunately had previous experience of restoring arts and craft houses in Glasgow.

Nick says: “We had worked on our house in the West End so knew firms that could handle the specialist work, like re-leading windows and replacing woodwork.”

He was drawn not just to the beautiful grand public rooms but the artisan feel. “The interiors are not mass-produced but bespoke and unique to the house.

“There is originality in every last aspect down to the light fittings which would have been made by ironmongers to the design of the architect.”

After the tenure of Mrs Monteith, the house had been a holiday home in the first part of the last century, perhaps only occupied a few days a year.

Nick says: “After that, each subsequent owner had done some upgrading, but what was needed was a major overhaul.”

The work, supervised by Historic Scotland, started with a new roof and the electrics, plumbing and heating were all replaced.

At some stage in the history of the house there had been a fire, and charred woodwork had been boarded up.

Nick says: “Getting hold of the original architectural drawings from the Dumfries archives, we were able to have replacements made to the exact design.

“Anything that had been lost, we replaced, like the drawing room fireplace which we had remade by a company in Manchester. We took out 1950s additions which shouldn’t have been there and found originals in reclamation yards.”

Some furniture they owned already, but much was found in unlikely places. He says: “Some was sourced in Vietnam, but built in the English arts and crafts style.”

Asked if he enjoyed the process, he is hesitant: “Because it was our own house we did take a lot of care, but I certainly didn’t enjoy camping out in the house for two years while the work was done. Dressing it has been enjoyable though.”

While he has a profound appreciation for the original feel of the house he says: “You also have to live in the modern world, so you need modern appliances and comforts, we’ve just made sure that they are out of view so it doesn’t impinge on the character of the house.”