Listed converted church with tower rooms hits the market in beautiful Fife location

Amanda McFarlane seemed destined to move into the Fife church where her forebears tied the knot.

Amanda McFarlane already had experience of transforming a property having refurbished a cottage in Ceres in Fife, while her husband Sandy had renovated properties down south, but still, Church House presented the couple with a project on a different scale when they bought this property in the hamlet of Bow of Fife just over 14 years ago.

“We hadn’t been looking for a church conversion,” reflects Amanda, who was living in Ceres at the time, “but then I saw this house on the market and came to view it with my daughter, and loved it straight away.”

Picture: Galbraith

Situated just west of Cupar and 13 miles from St Andrews, Church House dates from 1843, with later additions, and the church served the local community until the 1980s, after which the building was converted to residential use.

The church was split to create a large living area in one half of the space, and bedrooms in the other, but there was still scope for Amanda and Sandy to rework and redesign elements of the house.

Picture: Galbraith

“We redesigned the kitchen and all the bathrooms, and made one space into two bedrooms and another two bedrooms into one to create a master suite for us, and we redecorated throughout,” says Amanda.

“We had about three months between getting the keys and moving out of the cottage into the church, and it was crazy as we were both working full time – and we needed scaffolding to paint inside. It was full-on.

"We had a microwave as a kitchen for six months.”

Church House has a personal connection for Amanda as three generations of parents, including her own, were married here, and her father had attended Sunday school in the church.

Picture: Galbraith

Then, 11 years ago, Amanda and Sandy tied the knot in Church House, followed five years ago by Sandy’s son and his wife. No wonder it feels to Amanda as if Church House was destined to become her home.

Selling agent Galbraith – as Church House is now on the market – describes this C-listed property as an “outstanding church conversion” with a wonderful blend of dramatic living spaces and informal family zones.

The drawing and dining room on the ground floor certainly falls into the former category at just under nine metres long with double the height at one end and a galleried reading area above on the first floor.

Picture: Galbraith

There are also striking period features, including the carved stone pillars and arches, and the arched stone windows along one elevation.

There are four bedrooms on the ground floor (two are en-suite with a further shared bathroom) along with a large family kitchen and a family room and study, which can either be open plan or used as two separate rooms thanks to the giant folding doors between the two.

Picture: Galbraith

This space alone is beautiful with its dark timber panelling, a wood-burning stove and a separate open stone fireplace.

The first floor is no less impressive and can be accessed either by the main tower staircase or by the feature spiral staircase that leads up to the gallery.

Picture: Galbraith

The upstairs sitting room is over 12 metres long and again has a high ceiling with three feature arched windows and a stone archway leading to a small raised seating area.

The master suite is also on this level and has an en-suite dressing room and bathroom, and there’s a separate shower room.

Picture: Galbraith

There are also three rooms in the tower itself, and the top floor (the former belfry) offers panoramic views over the surrounding countryside.

Picture: Galbraith

When Amanda and Sandy moved in back in 2004, one of the first things that struck them was how their existing furnishings were dwarfed in this space – after all, Amanda had moved here from a cottage.

“Sandy had some family pieces that fitted in really well, and the rest was sourced from sale rooms,” she says, a process she evidently enjoyed.

Picture: Galbraith

“Each room has its own character, so it was about getting to know the spaces and the light.”

When choosing colours, Amanda opted for a neutral backdrop that would let the original features take the limelight, except for the dining space, where she selected a dramatic red hue for the walls: “I’ve always wanted a red dining room.”

Picture: Galbraith

When designing the kitchen, the couple chose traditional Shaker-style cabinetry combined with natural timber worktops and a nutwood floor, creating a timeless look.

“The kitchen was very important for me as a family room as we spend so much time here, and it looks out on to the garden, which I love, so I wanted it to be a natural and calming space,” says Amanda.

Picture: Galbraith

While this was Sandy and Amanda’s first home together, the couple approached its design with a shared aesthetic, and it helped that the house could take bold pieces, like the chandelier in the drawing room, while Amanda’s uncle is a master joiner and he created a few pieces to work with the proportions here, including a coffee table in the upstairs sitting room that he made using reclaimed railway sleepers.

Picture: Galbraith

The scale of the house – and its acoustics – have meant that Church House is a great party space. “We had my parents’ diamond anniversary party here, in the church they were married in, which was lovely,” says Amanda.

And the house offers flexible spaces for different times of year, from the snug family room, which is cosy in winter with the wood-burner lit, to the sitting room which is flooded in light in summer thanks to the tall arched windows.

Picture: Galbraith

The couple also did extensive work to the large garden, which was a project in itself, and now has a beautiful mix of plants and trees with sheltered seating areas.

Picture: Galbraith

The couple are now moving on to a very different project, building a property in St Andrews. Church House has had such a personal history for Amanda’s family, but now it’s time for someone new to create their own memories in this handsome and unique home.

Church House is on the market at offers over £650,000 with Galbraith.

Words: Fiona Reid