Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Inside the former north-east bank that is now a stunning six bedroom home

Post Thumbnail

From fabulous high ceilings to a stunning modern kitchen, The Bank House has a way of drawing you in.

As the name would suggest, this beautiful six-bedroom family home was a former bank – serving the residents of Torphins near Banchory.

When Colin and Emma MacLeod came along, the pair knew it held enormous potential.

It’s thanks to their vision that the traditional granite building on St Marnan Road has been given a new lease of life – with period features carefully left intact.

Colin, who is a heating engineer, and Emma, who is a doctor, moved to the grand pad in 2008.

Colin and Emma MacCloed outside the Bank House in Torphins.

They were no strangers to renovations with two projects already under their belt, but The Bank House was on a different level entirely.

They are now hoping to move a little closer to Banchory with their three children, but believe lockdown gave them the opportunity to truly appreciate what The Bank House has to offer.

“I think it was the beautiful proportion of each room which really caught my eye, and we have a love for period properties,” said Emma.

“It is incredibly well built and very unique.”

A new chapter

The property had been used as a bank since around 1880 and served the agricultural community.

It finished its commercial life as the Clydesdale, before it was purchased by a builder who started renovations.

By the time Emma and Colin came along, they knew exactly what they wanted to achieve.

“We changed the building to residential use in its entirety and put our stamp on it,” said Colin.

“It was noisy and dusty as work was ongoing, but we had excellent builders and a very good architect.

“We had absolute confidence.”

With accommodation spanning three floors, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to relaxing.

The lounge boasts a large bay window alongside twin windows to the side, which have the original wooden shutters.

The exposed granite inglenook fireplace houses a wood-burning stove, making this the go-to room in the winter months.

Original walk-in vault transformed

A pitch pine door conceals the original bank Chubb & Son walk-in vault/safe, which has now been utilised as quirky storage.

Head through to the sitting room where you’ll find an open fire and beautiful features such as original window panelling.

The study can be found to the rear of the property and makes home working that bit more enjoyable.


More homes to explore


It offers a wood-burning stove and a lovely view of the rear courtyard.

When restrictions allow, you can chivvy guests through double doors with a flourish and enjoy a dinner party in the dining room.

Although this space is ideal for entertaining, it could also lend itself to a further living space.

If you weren’t already suitably bowled over, the fabulous dining kitchen is the real gem in the crown.

The open-plan layout lends itself to family life, complete with a central island and numerous appliances including a full larder fridge.

Even the most reluctant of cooks will be enticed by this space, and the vaulted ceiling adds to the effect.

Head upstairs via the grand staircase, which has the original bentwood banister.

The master bedroom has an en suite, and the remaining three double bedrooms on this floor are all of excellent size.

The family bathroom has a white three-piece suite with Grohe shower.

On the second floor is a study area and two remaining bedrooms, one of which is currently in use as a playroom.

Outside there is a generous walled garden complete with a south-facing sun terrace.

The double garage complete with workshop takes care of both parking and further storage.

“We see ourselves as custodians”

“It’s lovely to sit outside on a summer evening, and we’ve enjoyed lunch on the patio rather a lot during lockdown,” said Emma.

“We have the countryside on our doorstep and we feel very lucky to have had all this space.”

Although the family are excited to move to pastures new, they will never forget The Bank House and its enduring charm.

“We see ourselves as custodians,” said Colin.

“It is fundamentally important in houses of this age to pass it on better than how you find it.”

Offer should be made of more than £650,000.


Contact Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace on 01330 822931, or the owner on 07748 901346.