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Historic Moray home destroyed by huge fire to be rebuilt by owner for second time

The B-listed Orton property has been exposed to the elements since the large fire last year.

By David Mackay

June 26 2024, 11:45 am

The roof of the Orton home was destroyed in the fire. Image: David Mackay/DC Thomson

A Moray home that was almost completely destroyed by fire last year is poised to be rebuilt by its owner for a second time.

The Orton property was ravaged by a blaze that tore through the roof and ran out of control through the house.

The incident in May last year came just two years after owner Jim MacLeod was forced from his home between Rothes and Fochabers after his pipes burst in temperatures as low as -17C.

After years of painstaking repairs, he had finally been ready to move back into the property, which is the former station house, at the time of the fire.

Firefighters on an aerial platform dampen down the burnt-out house near Fochabers. — About 40 firefighters from across Moray were sent to the house fire at Orton, near Fochabers. Image: JasperImage

In the days following the blaze he told the Press and Journal he would rebuild his home for a second time.

Plans have now been submitted to Moray Council to repair and reinstate the B-listed Orton house after the fire.

Plans for Orton house after fire

Documents submitted to reinstate the Orton house after the fire have described it as “significantly” damaged.

Drawings show the floor plan of the building will be kept the same inside the building, which was built in the 19th Century.

Planners have committed to replacing fixtures including windows, gutters and doors with similar features.

Artist impression of restored Orton home. Image: Ramsay McMichael Consulting Limited

Meanwhile, a new “breathable” layer will be added above the timber boards but below the slate roof while chimneys will be taken down and rebuilt.

The plans add: “Station House and Station Cottage have both been extensively damaged by a fire, which has now left the building open to the elements, with no roof structure in place.

“At a point where the new roof structure and coverings are in place, a full drying out process out prior to the reinstatement.”

Historic significance of Orton house

The Orton home was once the station and station houses for the local community. Trains running between Aberdeen, Elgin and Inverness still rumble past the home through the day.