Page 10 BSPC FEATURE PROPERTY

There are also a number of outbuildings, including adetached garage, potting shed, workshop, an ancientwashhouse still with the original fireplace and urn, andthe piece de resistance, a south-facing 4x4 metre logcabin with double-glazed windows and power that wouldmake a stunning office or studio for a writer/dreamer/poet/painter – or a garden dining room, guest room,or sleepover den for children.

Well maintained and much loved by the Laidlaw familyover two generations the house is in move-in conditionthroughout, having been upgraded in recent years atwhich point the kitchen and bathroom were re-fitted.

However, its character and original features remainuncompromised and include beautiful wood-panelled baywindows, vestibule with original tiled floor and decorativeglass, fireplaces, an attractive arched window on the halflanding and wash-hand basins in all four bedrooms.

The ground floor layout includes an L-shaped receptionhall, large sitting room and opposite, a similarly spaciousdining room (both with front-facing bay windows), Familyroom/study, large modern dining kitchen with access tothe garden, utility (with separate shelved pantry), showerroom and cloakroom.

Family houses don’t get much better than this

Tweedsmuir is a substantial Victorianproperty, situated on the outskirts of Chirnside,a picturesque village just 10 miles from Berwick-upon-Tweed and the A1 and 15 miles fromDuns, the county town of Berwickshire. Thecoast is also within easy reach, including thefishing port of Eyemouth.

Built from dressed sandstone around the turn of the lastcentury, the double-fronted house has been lovinglymaintained by Bill Laidlaw’s family for the last six decades.“My father bought it in the early 1950s from his cousin,who had been there for quite a while before that, so thehouse has spanned several generations,” he says. “It’s awonderful family home with a spacious layout and goodsized rooms. It also has a stunning garden, extending toaround half an acre, which apart from two entrances iswalled and therefore ideal for keeping children in andrabbits out.”

A gardener’s delight, the grounds comprise lawninterspersed by rose gardens, shrubs, borders, boxhedging, a vegetable garden, and fruit trees – plum,pear and apple.

BSPC FEATURE PROPERTY Page 11

substantial victorian beauty in rural Berwickshire

The kitchen, which is fitted with white wall and base units,grey laminate worktops and contrasting tiled splashbacks,includes an oil-fired Rayburn and integrated fridge, withplenty of space for a second cooker and dishwasher.

Upstairs, all four bedrooms are double size (large enoughfor freestanding furniture) and have neutral fitted carpets– the master bedroom also has a traditional fireplace, afeature that’s now being revived in many homes since theadvent of Living Flame technology. There’s also a usefulbox room with built-in storage, separate WC, and amodern bathroom tiled to half height and fitted with awhite suite (vanity basin) and separate shower cabinet.

Although small, Chirnside has several claims to fame. Oneof most famous former residents being the late Jim Clark,who won the F1 World Championships twice and went onto become the first Briton to win the Indianapolis 500 inthe US. The village also has a church that dates from the12th century, and a listed Art Deco-style primary school.

Tweedsmuir is a substantial family home and a wonderful,safe place for children and pets. However, it could equallysuit retirees who want a garden and space for family andgrandchildren to visit.

The location is another selling point: delightfully rural,yet within easy reach of a wide range of amenities andfacilities in the nearby towns of Duns and Berwick-upon-Tweed, the latter with a mainline rail link that puts theproperty within commutable distance for both Edinburghand Newcastle.

Tweedsmuir, Chirnside Station,

Chirnside, TD11 3LJ

Offers Around £375,000

Details on page 12