Spacious mews home with views over the Botanic Gardens hits the market

A quiet mews in Inverleith in Edinburgh holds a few surprises, discovers Kirsty McLuckie

There are a fair few revelations about the mews house at 3 Inverleith Place Lane in Edinburgh.First is the existence of the street at all, as most will not know about the quiet location which is tucked away next to the Botanic Gardens with just a handful of houses.Number three is the first you come to, numbers one and two having long since been demolished, and the addresses get more eccentric as you go along the row – next door is number 13. The interior of number three has more surprises, not least the size of the rooms which are most un-mewslike, being generous, with high ceilings and large windows flooding the inside with light.Instead of being a cosy cottage, the house is actually a good-sized family home with beautiful features and finish.On the ground floor is a big, open-plan living room and kitchen with a dining area, plus a shower and utility room next door.

The kitchen and dining area has doors which open out onto the lane.

Upstairs is a further drawing room, four bedrooms and a large bathroom.The final reveal is the view, which takes in Edinburgh Castle, Arthur’s Seat and the Botanic Gardens greenhouse which is just next door.The outlook is so spectacular that current owner of the mews house, Ian Hogan, has planning permission for a roof terrace, something which the next owner could implement.Hogan has lived in the house for three years, originally moving from Morningside. He had lived in this area before but Inverleith Place Lane was new to him.He says: “It is a very quiet cobbled lane and I was not aware of its existence and had certainly never been here before.

The master bedroom (Credit Strutt & Parker)

“It is a dead end but about 50 yards from the palm house at the botanics and that is what attracted me.“It feels like a country house because the spot is so quiet, with such a grand outlook.”The house is the oldest mews in the lane, dating from 1880. Originally it would have been a coachhouse, with a tack room below and a hay loft above, built to serve one of the big houses in Inverleith Place.Hogan has kept this in mind while decorating his home. “I’ve put in vintage lighting to be in keeping with its history.”Double doors at the front, which once would have been the coach entrance, have been replaced by sliding doors but kept their size.They open up from the kitchen inside.

The first floor drawing room.

Hogan says: “Because it is so quiet with no passing traffic and just four other homes on the street you can sit out on the lane with a glass of wine or a coffee.”He’s added a pretty sheltered bench and pots just opposite and says that guests during sunny weather always overflow out into the street. “At the weekend and evenings it feels just like a private terrace.”

For Ziggy, Hogan’s miniature schnauzer, walks start just at the bottom of the lane.Inside, the main living area is the open-plan kitchen, which is a sizeable room, with plenty of space for dining and a seating area.At its heart is a beautiful red Aga, not a piece of equipment Hogan was familiar with before but he says he loves cooking with it now. The finish in the kitchen is high end, with granite worktops and slate flooring.The other room downstairs, now a utility, would have originally been the tack room and Hogan has honoured its past with hay forks on the ceiling.He was surprised to learn that this room used to house a puppet theatre. He says: “Apparently 25 to 30 years ago the kitchen was upstairs and the downstairs was all set up for regular performances.”

The fourth bedroom or study.

The house is probably one of the few of its type that you might imagine could house an audience. Hogan says: “I’ve rarely seen bigger mews. Sometimes they have low ceilings, sometimes they lack light, but this is south facing and I’ve had to add shutters because the light floods in.”The drawing room upstairs is another good sized room, it faces west with an outlook over the spires of Fettes College and makes for a warm, bright space particularly in the early evening.Hogan works from home as a leadership coach and has set up the fourth bedroom as an office.It is a peaceful spot for a base and the addition of a roof terrace above would only add to this pretty house with its quirky past.

3 Inverleith Place Lane is priced at offers over £675,000.Selling agent Strutt and Parker on 0131-718 4597.