Unique view from a period penthouse
A top-floor flat in Edinburgh’s Newington has gone from student digs to a light-filled home, finds Kirsty Mcluckie
The top-floor flat at 37 Newington Road in Edinburgh has undergone a radical overhaul in the last few years.
Scott Conchar and his wife, Melissa, bought the flat two and a half years ago when they relocated from Sydney due to Scott’s job with Glenmorangie distillery.
He is from the Capital, and although Melissa is originally from Australia, she was living in Scotland when she met and married Scott.
They have two children, ten-year-old Milly, and Tallis, eight, so when move time came, mum and dad were looking for a family home in the heart of the city.
Scott says: “Location was very important. We had lived on the Meadows before we moved to Australia and we were really keen to be in that area again.
“The flat is between Arthur’s Seat and the Meadows, and the Commonwealth Pool is close by so with kids we really wanted to be near to all of those.
“It is good to be close to amenities but with easy access to open space too.”
However, the flat’s condition was something of a challenge. Scott recalls: “When we first saw it, it was an absolute bomb site as it had been used as a student flat for many years.
“We were happy to take on a challenge, but it took a couple of months of renovation work before we could move in, even though it was cosmetic, rather than structural work.”
The work involved fitting upgraded central heating, a new kitchen and bathroom and the whole flat was re-insulated. Gas piping was laid to the living room to allow for a gas fire to be installed, windows and skylights were created in the bathroom and new flooring was fitted, including the beautiful parquet floor in the hallway.
Melissa managed the work in tandem with the contractors, while Scott was in charge of budgeting and bills, but the couple had just completed a much bigger renovation on their townhouse in Sydney so were comfortable with the scale of the restoration.
Scott says: “We wanted to reveal the features, so many of them had been covered up so it was a case of stripping back and seeing what was underneath.
“There must have been seven or eight sheets of wallpaper to be stripped on some of the walls, so it had just been unloved over a long period of time.”
One of their most satisfying finds was the beautiful brass fireplace with original tiling in the sitting room, which has been restored and is now in pride of place.
The flat was double-glazed before Scott and Melissa bought it, but they tackled a roof refurbishment, along with other owners in the building. It now has a 20-year guarantee.
Scott says that the extent of the work was due to their plans to live in it long term. “At the time we didn’t have any intention of moving for the foreseeable future.”
A job move means that the family are now heading back to Sydney, but the level of investment that went into the renovation at 37 Newington Road has certainly produced a property with top-quality fittings and long-term improvements. It is of a much higher standard than a flat merely done up with an eye to adding some value and then selling the place on for a quick profit.