Author’s house in Royal Mile gifted to nation

A HOUSE worth £1.5m that was once home to author Daniel Defoe has been gifted to the
nation.

Moubray House, a four-storey property in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, counts the author of
Robinson Crusoe among those who have lived there.

The 600-year-old building is owned by former US aviation executive Debra Stonecipher. The tycoon, who is married to a former head of Boeing, Harry Stonecipher, has agreed to hand over the property to Historic Scotland within the next decade.

The building, which has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, two kitchens and is decorated with period furniture and art, will open as a visitor centre.

Mrs Stonecipher fell in love with Moubray House during her first visit to Scotland in 1999 and bought it nearly a decade later.