Although she grew up in London, Fiona Byerley’s heart was always in the Highlands.
As a youngster, proud of her Scottish roots, she enjoyed family holidays in Nairn and Banff. After she married Richard, they bought a holiday home in Banff, a place where they could shake the city dust off their shoes and relax.
Richard, 56, said: “Fiona always dreamed about living in this part of the world. so when an opportunity arose for her to teach in Moray, we took it because we liked the area so much.”
Nine years ago, they bought Boyne House, which sits at number 15 Tolbooth Street, right in the heart of Forres.
It is an impressive and imposing B-listed house with an interesting history, as Fiona explained: “It was originally built in 1785 for a wealthy Scottish sugar merchant who wanted to retire from Jamaica to Scotland. He based the design on Scottish stately homes and had various outbuildings for storing merchandise.”
He then rented out the house to fellow sugar merchant William Mackie who had married a Jamaican woman, which was very unusual in those days. He returned with his children as he wished to end his days in Scotland.
“Though he was wealthy, he could not afford to buy Boyne House and sadly passed away that first winter, leaving his grown-up children at the house.
The sons returned to Jamaica and eventually their descendants moved to Australia,” said Fiona.
“One of the daughters married a local farmer, and when she saved enough money, bought Boyne House, where she lived to her death. Descendants of William Mackie lived in the house for many years.
“Other owners included a clan chieftain who played the bagpipes outside, a professor of architecture and a doctor who lived here for more than 50 years.”
A number of works have been carried out to the house in recent years including the rebuilding of windows and the addition of an extension. Built of stone under a pitched slate roof, the four-storey townhouse, which is tastefully decorated throughout, offers flexible, well-appointed accommodation which makes it an ideal family home. But it has plenty of potential for a guest house or holiday lets.
“When we bought the house it was in need of some upgrading. Some carpets, for example, had been there since World War II. When we lifted them we found no underlay, just newspapers dating from the early 1940s,” said Richard.
“Changes we made included adding an extension which had to be in keeping with the style of the house as it is B-listed. We were lucky – our builder was passing an old building which was being pulled down and after a quick chat, was able to buy the bricks and re-use them here.”
The lower ground floor accommodation includes a hallway with external door, a family/dining room, a kitchen, a shower room and a bedroom. The bedroom gives access to a studio apartment with kitchenette/bedroom and shower room. The room layout on the lower ground floor is extremely flexible as both apartments have their own separate external doors ensuring they can be used individually, let out together or simply accommodated into the main house.
“The downstairs is kind of self contained so we do rent it out to people who are on vacation, which provides a nice second income.”
From Tolbooth Street, stone steps lead up to the front door which opens in to the spacious entrance hallway with stairs leading down to the lower ground floor and up to the first floor. The dining kitchen is a generously sized room with an impressive open fire and range of wall and floor units with various integrated appliances, while the sitting room is elegant and boasts ornate ceiling plasterwork and an open fireplace.
A cloakroom with a WC and space for washing machine completes the ground-floor accommodation.
The first floor is home to the family bathroom, master bedroom and a further double bedroom currently used as a study. These are both bright and good-sized rooms with open fireplaces and tall ceilings. Moving upstairs again, there are two large attic bedrooms, both with built-in storage cupboards, and a shower room.
“There are lots of lovely period features including an interesting ceiling in the sitting room, original fireplaces, staircase and mouldings throughout. We have tried to bring the house back to its original glory,” said Richard. That included having an exact replica of the original front door made and the original lock from William Mackie’s time refitted.
Outside the detached house, which is on the market at offers over £320,000, there is a graveled front garden enclosed by a stone wall and a courtyard to the side of the house with a charming seating area. Parking space is available for two cars at the side of the house.
“I’m from Surrey, and living here has been my first experience of life in Scotland and it has been wonderful. Our two children, who go to Gordonstoun, have also enjoyed it very much, especially getting out with the dogs for long walks on Findhorn beach.
“I will miss living in such a wonderful house with great history and we will certainly not get a house of this character or beauty down south, they just really exist in the suburbs of London.
“I have really enjoyed my Scottish adventure, the countryside is wonderful and the people are friendly and it has been a fantastic experience living here,” said Richard.
Fiona said: “We enjoyed renovating the house and bringing our family up here and have many happy memories at Boyne House, but it is time for us to move on as I am working full-time in London.”
Contact: CKD Galbraith on 01343 546362.