Prestige property: Elegant appeal of Elgin mansion

The property has seven bedrooms and traditional bay-windowed dining and drawing rooms, a library and a modern open-plan dining-kitchen and family room.

Jonathan and Nicky Passmore bought Westerfolds in 2004. Jonathan recalls: “We were living in Kuwait, where I was with the army. I came home briefly and was so keen when I viewed here, that we actually bought it without Nicky seeing it.”

The former farmhouse, which dates from 1881, needed a great deal of work. Jonathan admits: “It was about as derelict as a house can be and still lived in. The roof leaked, the windows and wiring, heating and plumbing all needed replacing. The outbuildings were totally decrepit. It was quite a project.”

Along with weatherproofing Westerfolds, protecting its original features and adding a few modern comforts, during the restoration the Passmores strove to improve the house’s energy performance with solar panels and insulation.

The work was completed in a gradual process over several years, with much of it being done by Jonathan and Nicky in their spare time. Once done, the couple started work on the garden, which has been redesigned and landscaped.

At the front, the planting is formal and frames the view. It includes a sensory garden, with plants that you can eat, smell, see and touch. There is also a woodland garden, and a rhododendron area.

The back garden is walled, with a terrace and a lawn for football. In the paddock, trees – including giant redwood, maples and cherry – were planted to add year-round interest. All together, the outside space is now a major feature of Westerfolds.

Jonathan jokes: “We blame Monty Don. We watched a programme of his from a geometric garden in Italy that was overlooking countryside and thought: ‘We could do that!’.

“The structural side of it was relatively straightforward, as I’m an engineer by background. It meant an awful lot to us after a life in the military, moving from quarter to quarter and never being able to experiment, to have a chance to create something special.”

Prestige property: Aboyne home is perfect place for peace and quiet

He adds: “It is also designed to give us a choice about how much work we want to do. The garden is low maintenance – we knew there’d be times when we couldn’t devote so much time to it, so you can actually do as little gardening as you like.”

That said, the vegetable and fruit plots and the greenhouse means it would be easy to be self-sufficient here. “We grow a lot of our own food, and the house is always filled with cut flowers.”

The views from the front of the house are to the south and take in the Laich o’ Moray and out to the 1,000-foot Brown Muir and the currently snow-capped Corbett, Ben Rinnes.

RAF Lossiemouth is close and the location would certainly be of interest to plane spotters. Jonathan says it is quite spectacular when the jets take off vertically: “We were aware of it when we moved in, but now they don’t disturb us at all. Mostly we are surrounded by peace and quiet.”

The world renowned Gordonstoun School lies about two miles away, where the Passmore’s two foster sons are just finishing their education.

Westerfolds has played a major role in family life, firstly for the couple’s daughters, then their foster family, and now grandchildren.

Jonathan says: “We have tried to create a warm and welcoming home, and during the pandemic it has been wonderful. My daughter and her family moved home from China and lived with us for a while and there was space for everyone, but equally it doesn’t feel too big when the whole family isn’t here.”

Westerfolds House, Duffus, Elgin, is priced at offers over £900,000.

For more information, contact Galbraith on 01343 546362.

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