Sue Bourne moved to the house three years ago from Perth, when her job – managing the Scottish holiday company Cottages and Castles – took her to the area.

She enthuses: “Melrose is such a lovely place to live and I absolutely fell in love with the house. It is very central and has a lovely feel to it.”

Buccleuch House has a handsome double front under a slate roof with attractive Georgian features and proportions both inside and out.

The walled garden at the back and a patio garden at the front provide privacy and peaceful surroundings, year-round colour, and a very sheltered area to entertain guests.

It would also be an ideal garden for families, as it is completely enclosed and there is a pretty summer house.

Internally, the property has an abundance of original features, including ornate cornicing, original fireplaces, working shutters, and a most elegant staircase with an oak balustrade in the hall.

This is Sue’s favourite part of the house. “The entrance hall is so sunny, but it had a carpet down when the previous owners lived here. I just looked underneath and was delighted to find these tiles which were in immaculate condition, they just needed a bit of a clean up. It makes for a spectacular feature when you first come in and certainly not something you would find in a modern house.”

The ground floor also has a formal drawing room with a beautiful fireplace, a dining room and a cosy dining-kitchen which is warmed by a five-oven AGA.

The kitchen also has under-floor heating and thus creates a really comfortable space, meaning Sue’s two dogs spend most of their time in there. She has – of course – Border Terriers.

There is a handy pantry, plus a utility room, and next to a bathroom the ground floor also has a sizeable study, which could be used as a downstairs bedroom suite, lending a degree of future-proofing to buyers with elderly relatives.

There is certainly plenty of scope for this to be a multigenerational house – upstairs has six bedrooms and an attic box room.

Two useful storage cellars are in the basement, as well as a coal cellar and log store. There is direct access to this lower floor from the rear garden, so it is a boon for storing bikes and outdoor equipment.

The Melrose location has been one of the best aspects for Sue: “It is a really lovely place to live. When I’m out on a walk with the dogs, everyone says hello, and you get to know people very quickly. There are nice independent shops a stone’s throw away, and all you would need in a perfectly sized town.”

On upgrading the house, she says: “Most of the work we have done is cosmetic, aside from putting in a new central heating system and boiler. It is in very good nick for an old house, the suggestion is that it was built for the Lord Provost of the area in 1830, and it still has a very grand Georgian feel.”

In the aesthetic, she has kept to its period origins while updating it to the comforts of modern life.

Sue has enjoyed having the luxury of space too, and says: “It is a great house for entertaining and the family and grandchildren love to visit.”

Now retired, Sue has decided it is time for a downsize, but Buccleuch House is a beautiful, unique property in a prime location.

Buccleuch House, Melrose, is priced at offers over £695,000.

For more information, contact Baird Lumsden on 01786 833 800.

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