Romantic 1930s house in the heart of the city hits the market

Fine period details and a vast garden are prime attractions for a house in central Edinburgh, finds Kirsty McLuckie

The home at 16 Wester Coates Gardens, Edinburgh is a rare combination of large detached property, in its own very private gardens, minutes away from the city centre, so no wonder its price is near the top of the city market.

It has four bedrooms, a study and four bathrooms, plus a family room, sitting room, drawing room and dining-kitchen, but it is the spaciousness of the interior which really impresses.

The drawing room. Picture: Coulters.

Moira and Paul Atkinson have lived in the house for ten years, and Moira says: “We actually moved from just along the road.“For seven years I’d walked past this house taking my daughters to school and always admired it.”When they viewed the house, which dates from 1935, they found the interior was as impressive.Paul says: “It was built by Lord Sir Ian Hutchison who was in the navy and served as an advisor to Winston Churchill. There is actually still an upright concrete Anderson shelter in the gardens dating from his time here.”

The garden.

The couple bought it from the estate of Sir Ian’s granddaughter Jane, so are only the second family to have owned it.Moira says that this is one of the newer houses in the street. “It was built in the vegetable garden of an older property across the road.”This doesn’t mean that they are squeezed, in terms of outside space, in any way. In fact, Number 16 comes with three-quarters of an acre of garden and as Moira says: “It is a real luxury in this part of town, you look out at the back and you feel that you are in the countryside.

The sheltered courtyard.

“It was quite overgrown when we first moved in but the orchard already had fruit trees so we have just added a lot of raspberry canes but mostly the garden has stayed as it always was.”It is a tranquil oasis which is bordered by mature shrubs and specimen trees. The Atkinsons have replaced the paving and the patio but all the rockery is original, as is the pond which attracts ducks from the neighbouring Water of Leith who return every year.

The covered balcony.

Amongst the more austere Victorian houses in the street, the front of the house is romantic, with a covered verandah and a balcony above.Paul says: “We describe it as a bit Gone with the Wind. The verandah is a suntrap and a lovely quiet sheltered spot to take a rest from gardening.”He has a business supplying venture capital to early stage tech companies and Moira works in their group of recruitment companies.Both are based in the city centre so they can walk to work which is another advantage of the location.Moira says: “You can get to Princes Street in 20 minutes.”

The panelled hallway with stained glass windows.

The interior of the house has many beautiful features. The hall is overlooked by three stained glass windows at the half landing. Paul says: “The three panels we believe were imported from Germany by Sir Ian and are from German churches. One of them is dated 1601.”They light an oak-panelled hallway, all of which is in perfect order even though it is heading for 100 years old.With both daughters now based around Dundee, Paul and Moira are downsizing to spend more time with their grandchildren, while keeping a smaller Edinburgh base.

The dining kitchen.

Moira says of the house: “When the house was originally built there would have been servants’ rooms at the back but they were knocked together to create a lovely large kitchen which the place we spend most of our time.”The main part of the house is exactly as it was when first built, and its huge public rooms mean that it is a perfect venue for entertaining.

The master bedroom.

Moira comments: “The room we use as a gym, you can open up all the wood panelling so it flows from that room to the hall and staircase.“We could have 100 people in and not be too crowded.”They have a real affection for the house and had the family remained in Edinburgh they would definitely stay, but Moira says that they have never regretted taking the plunge to move when it came on the market ten years ago.“We had no intention of buying it but after years of walking past, it was the house that convinced us to move.“We love gardens and the luxury of the grounds and so many different trees and flowers in it means it changes all the time.”

Offers over £2.295m, contact Coulters on 0131-603 7333