INTRODUCTION
Head to Scotland’s premier supplier of wood burning
systems for the best stoves on the market
FASQUE HOUSE
the second floor overlooks the parkland to the front, where Scotland’s unique herd of white fallow deer graze. Curving down to the left can be seen the beech-lined driveway that was planted in 1750. The downstairs rooms are smaller but
equally elegant, with high ceilings and large marble fireplaces. The entrance hall is 60ft long (large enough for several Strip the Willows) and is lit from the enormous cupola high above the cantilevered staircase. The most spectacular room at Fasque is
the library, which is filled with the history of this house. It is easy to imagine Queen Victo- ria’s prime minister sitting here, contemplating the state of the nation while the fire crackles in the grate. The dark wooden panels on the walls alternate with hand-crafted bookcases, and a bust of William Gladstone sits atop the mantelpiece. This is a house that has witnessed the trials
and tribulations of 200 years of life and yet has changed hands only twice in that time. ‘We are extremely aware of the honour of taking Fasque into the future,’ says Heather. ‘And while we are keen to take it into the 21st century, we’re deter- mined not to lose any of its remarkable past.’ In the 12 months since the family moved
in Gaelic – the present house was designed for entertainment and show. It took ten years to build the house, which boasted seven large reception rooms, 26 bedrooms, eight bathrooms and Europe’s largest cantilevered staircase. In 1829 the Ramsey family decided they
could no longer afford the upkeep and Fasque House was sold to John Gladstone, a Liverpud- lian merchant of Scottish extraction. Although 20 years old by the time his father purchased the house, William Gladstone, four times prime minister, called Fasque home. In 1845 John Gladstone received the Baronetcy of Fasque and Balfour, making him Sir John Gladstone, and built a church in the grounds to commem- orate the occasion. Sir John died in 1851 and the estate passed to William Gladstone’s eldest brother, Thomas. Despite Sir John’s death,
the Gladstones
prospered and so did Fasque, Thomas build- ing a school in the grounds and expanding the estate to 80,000 acres. As the years passed, however, the family’s attention was focused elsewhere and from 1932 the house lay empty for four decades. It was finally taken on by Peter Gladstone, who redecorated it, opened the east wing to the public in 1978 and established the house as a venue for weddings, balls, parties and other events. Running it was a full-time
occupation, and in 2003 it was put up for sale. Bought
in a private deal by a consortium
of developers who immediately put it on the open market, this was when the Dick-Reids first looked around the house and the grounds. With the house came 13 cottages, 11 apartments, a deer park and deer, plus some 380 acres of land. ‘Being only half an hour’s drive from Aberdeen, Fasque’s
says Douglas. ‘But it was the desire to turn this forlorn house into a family home again that was our inspiration.’ Awed by the scale but up for a challenge,
the couple put in an offer. Their initial bid was rejected but
they persevered and two years
later, in November 2009, the house was finally theirs. The following July, the couple and their three young children, Harvey, Archie and Hetti, moved in. This large sandstone castellated house with
its stately rooms from a bygone age was, in the days of Peter Gladstone, a successful wedding venue. With peacocks still strutting on the immaculate lawn, space to land a helicopter or two and a working church on the doorstep, it’s certainly an ideal spot for celebrations. The spacious rooms of the east wing are
great for holding balls, functions, lunches and weddings. The large, gracious drawing room on
development potential was huge,’
in, nearly the whole house has been decorated. Where once there were whitewashed walls, now there are luxuriant wallpapers by Osborne & Little, Barneby Gates and Timorous Beasties. Silk curtains in rich colours frame the windows. Traditional pieces of furniture have been updated in modern velvets and brocades. Stiff upright chairs have been replaced with deep, modern sofas. The dark Raeburn portraits have given way to modern works of art by Susie Lee, Nael Hanna, Pam McBride and David Cook. The bedrooms upstairs are now beautifully
luxurious, while the creaky plumbing has been replaced with roll-top baths and power showers. The kitchen, with its double range and cold store, would keep any professional cook happy. The Dick-Reids live mainly
in the west
wing. From the moment you walk through the double adjoining doors from the entrance hall, evidence of the presence of their three young children is everywhere. Photos and drawings adorn the walls, piles of toys and books sit on a bench next to the playroom and the sound of laughter and happy voices echoes throughout. It is here that Heather has indulged her more
personal taste. The kitchen, decorated with aubergine kitchen units, brown Aga and purple walls, is modern, funky and cosy. The living room, her favourite room, is a calm, peaceful place decorated in pale blue and taupe, which takes advantage of the south-facing sunshine and views over the parkland. The tiny tower
WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK 63 GRAND DESIGNS
07 STIRLING STOVE CENTRE
28/09/2011 13:41:12
01 ALBA POOLS
01
09 GRILLE CITY
08
10 THE LIGHT ROOM
11 VICTOR PARIS
12
12 KENNETH ANDERSON DESIGNS
09
03 BULTHAUP’S
02 AW LANDSCAPE
02 A dozen ways to bring a touch of class to your home in the New year
Grand designs 03
05
ar in our interiors section, on 0131 312 4571 or email uk
06 CLIVE CHRISTIAN
05 VILLEROY & BOCH
04 06
WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK 93
093-094_sf12.indd 93
04 J&D SOLUTIONS LTD
28/09/2011 13:42:09 Chimney sweeping
We offer Professional
installation, survey and fi tting service
Stove spares and accessories
Chimney liners and cowls
Logs, coal, peat and kindling material
Unit 5 - 10 Munro Road Springkerse Industrial Estate Stirling FK7 7UU
Mon- Sat 9-5 Sun by appointment only Tel. 01786 440028
www.stirlingstovecentre.co.uk SCOTTISH FIELD Homes & Gardens 7
CONTACT JANICE ON 0131 312 4571
LISTED GET
WAKING FROM WINTER
Waking from winter
Marguerite Ogilvie’s Angus garden at Pitmuies, with its vibrant range of Spring bulbs, is widely recognised as one of the country’s finest gardens
WORDS ANTOINETTE GALBRAITH IMAGES ROY SUMMERS
fter a long winter the garden at Pitmuies is just waking up. The generous carpets of purple crocus and yellow aconites
that succeed the snowdrops in the garden and along the banks of the River Vinny are in full bloom bringing a welcome sparkle of colour to the early spring backdrop of browns and greens. In the walled garden and the potager, striking combinations of early flowering helle- bores, iris and crocus, combine to herald the arrival of spring. Renowned for its fine layout and the roman-
tic quality of its summer borders, Pitmuies, Marguerite Ogilvie’s Angus garden, is widely recognised as one of Scotland’s finest private gardens and a striking backdrop to the house, parts of which date from the 17th century. Over- looking 26 acres of mature policies of trees, the house is flanked to the north by a fine frame- work of farm buildings and potting sheds. The first of these, a low barn with a fern covered
roof, is the first building visitors see on arrival, before they enter the Walled Garden. Less well known than the formal planting
and landscape is the vibrant range of spring bulbs, both naturalised and in herbaceous beds that announce the coming of spring. Drifts of snowdrops combine with carpets of aconites in February and March, followed by daffodils with bluebells taking centre stage in May. But perhaps the most striking and unusual bulbs are the massed plantings of crocus scattered in pools outside the garden walls and around the original Gothic style laundry and doocote in the lower garden. Irish-born Marguerite has
always been
passionate about gardening. The great grand daughter of the Earl of Annesley, the nineteenth century plant collector from Castlewellan in Co Down, now the National Arboretum for Northern Ireland, she admits to ‘a head start to gardening. I grew up at Castlewellan where I
WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK 61
060-063_sf02.indd 61
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44