Thanks, Ferdinand
Villa built by a German before WWI has stood the test of time
FOR a new arrival in Victorian Scotland, Ferdinand Gottlieb Plew did very well for himself – and very quickly too. The German immigrant found a position as manager of the foreign department of a tweed mill in Peebles, and within a few years was instructing the construction of a fine home, Craigmount, for his family.
Dressed in honey-coloured sandstone, the 1906 property consists of a collection of styles, which is perfectly understandable as it came shortly after the Victorian era and just at the start of the progressive Edwardian period of house design. The fish-scale tiles on the roof are definite Victoriana, as are the bargeboards you see from 1850 onwards and the weathervane finial on the roof.
But there’s effectively a small tower house built into the very façade of the building, which could be a ‘modern’ addition or it may simply be a nod to Mr Plew’s Teutonic roots.
One wonders how his sons fared in this Peeblesshire town, having been christened Ferdinand and Ludwig in the years leading up to the First World War.
But Mr Plew’s daughter, Johanna, would later suffer a direct wartime loss when her second husband, John Don-Wauchope, died at Dunkirk in May 1940, a member of the British Expeditionary Force stranded on the beaches of France.
It is to be hoped the Plew family enjoyed happy times in their spell at Craigmount.
The house is located in a generous, elevated plot which affords wonderful views across the rolling countryside of Peeblesshire.
Perhaps Victorian tastes win out as you enter the property, with double storm doors opening to a welcoming vestibule with mosaic flooring and stained glass.
There’s an original fireplace and the walls are decorated in Lincrusta, a deeply embossed wallcovering which was all the rage in Victorian society.
Invented by Frederick Walton, who had already patented linoleum in 1860, it became a feature of hotel bars, foyers, restaurants and casinos in the latter part of the 19th Century. Lincrusta even featured in six state rooms on The Titanic and found favour at the White House in Washington DC.
The drawing room is double aspect and has an open fireplace with impressive fire surround.
The dining room is opposite and also enjoys windows on two sides, with a wide east-facing bay window, which allows light to flood into the room.
The kitchen is set at the heart of the house and is large enough for a breakfast table. A four-oven Aga with warming plate sits on one wall, with the main kitchen set within a large alcove with base units, sink and dishwasher.
A more recent addition to the property’s fabric is the fine Mozolowski and Murray garden room, with separate dining and seating spaces, which can be unified in the event of a larger gathering. It is linked to the morning room via a hallway. The ground floor accommodation is completed by a home office, utility room and a cloakroom.
The first floor has a generous landing, off which you will find five bedrooms and a family bathroom. All of the bedrooms retain original fireplaces as well as intricate cornicing.
Craigmount’s gardens have been planned in such a way that they provide a range of vibrant colours throughout the year.