Inside a restored Victorian cottage in beautiful Perthshire

The romance of Yew Tree Cottage didn’t wear off for the Barries once the hard work began to restore this Victorian treasure in Scone.

Duncan and Gemma Barrie had been looking for a property for a while when they spotted Yew Tree Cottage, which came on the market back in 2012.

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They’re not ashamed to admit that it was “love at first sight” in every respect.

The property went to a closing date, and the Barries were amazed to discover that theirs was the successful bid.

Directly after Duncan picked up the keys to move in, he proposed to Gemma in the house. Some property purchases really are just meant to be.

Situated on a quiet residential street in the village of Scone, and just ten minutes’ drive from Perth, this detached house at 12 Murray Road dates back to 1840 and stands in a large and secluded garden.

As Gemma says: “We loved the mature garden and the character of the house, including the front windows and period features, such as the cornicing, and we also loved the space that an older property offers.”

Don’t be fooled by the term “cottage”, as this is a generous home once inside.

Arranged over two floors, the ground level includes a large sitting room and a dining room to the front, and the south-facing aspect means that these rooms are bathed in light.

Picture: Galbraith

The sitting room has beautiful detailed plaster ceiling mouldings and cornicing, along with an original marble fireplace, giving this space a sense of grandeur you might not expect from outside.

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The dining room also has intricate cornice detailing, and is joined to the kitchen, creating a fantastic and generous living, dining and kitchen zone on one side of the house that is bathed in natural light.

Behind the sitting room, a bedroom has doubled as a play room since the arrival of the couple’s son, Robin.

There’s a really practical boot room that leads into a utility space, as well as a shower room behind the kitchen.

Picture: Galbraith

There are three further bedrooms upstairs, including the master bedroom and a smaller room that would be an ideal study or nursery, along with the family bathroom.

The Barries knew that this house would be a project, but the level of work required didn’t faze them.

“I’m a farmer’s son,” says Duncan, “and my father built the house we lived in as kids. I’ve lived in many a project, although I pushed my boundaries doing up this house.”

Picture: Galbraith

And it wasn’t only the building that required attention: the mature garden was overgrown and blocked the light coming into the house, so Duncan and his brothers, Robert and William, tackled this area together.

Trees were removed to open up the space, and the wood was used for logs for the woodburner the couple installed in the sitting room – replacing an old-fashioned range that was here when they arrived.

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Duncan also cut down a hedge that was about two metres wide and was again blocking the light, and the old garage was removed and a large patio laid in its place.

Internally, all the floors were lifted and replaced, which was a substantial task in itself.

The house was also replumbed and rewired. Once the floors were lifted, it simply made sense to do any other work required at the same time, says Duncan.

“We knew the floors would need to be done and that drove other things. I was able to use trade contacts I’ve had for years, and had a local chap who did the kitchen and dealt with a lot of the joinery work in the house.”

Picture: Galbraith

Although there was already an opening between the dining room and the kitchen – they would originally have been two separate rooms – the couple transformed this space by installing Shaker-style cabinetry along with a range cooker and crisp white subway tiling.

“We felt that a Shaker-style country kitchen with oak worktops would create a warm and characterful kitchen,” says Gemma.

The couple also wanted to create a very sociable space, which led to the island with breakfast bar, and they retained the pantry cupboard just off the kitchen – “It’s great for finding things at a glance,” says Gemma.

Duncan stayed in the house during the major work, while Gemma stayed with her family for part of the time.

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“We had water and power, but we didn’t have floorboards for a while,” Duncan recalls.

The majority of the work was completed within the first year, but then last year, after Robin was born, the couple tackled the utility and the boot room.

Picture: Galbraith

The couple have a cocker spaniel, Connie, so the boot room is really practical when they come back from muddy walks. It’s also great for storage.

Throughout the house, the couple chose a calm and mellow colour palette with pale greys and greens reflecting the hues from the garden.

Picture: Galbraith

The sitting room is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Pavilion Gray. “I liked the contrast with the ceiling and the marble fireplace,” says Gemma.

For the kitchen and dining area, they chose colours from the Dulux Timeless Classics range, with Antique Map in the kitchen and Vintage Chandelier in the dining area, while the curtains in the latter and the blinds in the kitchen were made using Moon fabric in Kincraig Glacier.

“The greys and greens bring the kitchen and dining area together,” says Gemma, who gleaned inspiration from back issues of Country Living and Country Homes & Interiors given to her by a friend after the couple moved in.

The furnishing style is a mix of new and traditional pieces, reflecting the character of this property while creating a relaxed family home.

Picture: Galbraith

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Both Duncan and Gemma think the open plan kitchen and dining room is the highlight of the house.

“This space works well for family living and entertaining, and we’re lucky to be able to enjoy views to the garden when sitting down to a meal,” says Gemma.

Picture: Galbraith

“I also love that the house is south-facing and has bright sunny reception rooms.”

The couple are only moving now to be closer to family as Gemma is expecting their second child.

Picture: Galbraith

“I’m not sure whether we’ll be looking for as big a project again at this stage in our lives,” says Duncan.

The couple’s hands will be full with a young family. But the Barries can leave Yew Tree Cottage knowing that in transforming this period house, literally from the inside out, they have created a beautiful family home.

Picture: Galbraith

Yew Tree Cottage is on the market with Galbraith at offers over £365,000.

Words: Fiona Reid