A Baronial-style Self-build in the Highlands

"Everyone said we would end up hating the builder and have an endless list of snags,” says John Cullen as he welcomes H&R into his and wife Sarah’s home in the Highlands. “I’m relieved to say there were no such things. The whole project has been a real joy, and of course we’re delighted with the end result.”

John and Sarah’s home surprises visitors on many levels – more of which later – but its two most impressive facts are that despite it looking as sturdy and established as any of the other grand sporting estate houses in this lush part of Scotland, it’s not only brand new but also built out of timber frame.

The couple were living in the old stables/cottage on another part of the estate and had always hoped to do something with the main house, which had enjoyed a rather chequered history. The original 18th century house that sat on the site was destroyed by fire in the mid 19th century and it was replaced by a rather ill-conceived home which, for some reason or other, completely ignored the views to the south and west and decided instead to face east (probably as this was the elevation that faced the driveway). This not-terribly-charming house received some further insults by way of completely out-of-context 20th century additions and was finally put out of its misery and demolished in 1976. All that stood on the site was a historic Baronial tower, part of the original house.

Having decided that enough was enough, John and Sarah took to the internet and came across Ian Scott Watson, responsible for hundreds of new houses in Scotland through his company Border Design Centre and, as it happens, a famous character in the Scottish motor racing scene owing to his close association with the legendary World Champion driver Jim Clark.

“The brief was very simple,” says John. “We wanted a new home on the site that would make the most of the wonderful views, would augment rather than detract from the estate, and, perhaps most of all, draw on the existing tower for inspiration.” Planners were minded to allow a sympathetic and traditional-style new house (in most of the rest of the UK once a house in the countryside is demolished and there is deemed to be nothing to replace it, the site is classed as open countryside) owing to the long-standing inhabitation of the site and the fact that a house had stood there relatively recently. There is evidence of buildings in other parts of the estate that date back 900 years.

Planning aside, Ian’s task was further constrained by the extensive earth-moving tasks carried out in preparation for the previous houses. They had been built on a knoll which has been levelled off about 3m below the level of the entrance drive, terraces to the south and what would have been a service entry drive to the lower level. To the north is dense woodland and a deep ravine. John and Sarah wanted a large drawing room, grand dining hall large enough to hold private dances, a large living kitchen and ten bedrooms mostly with en suites to accommodate guests.

So, as you can see, despite the size of the estate, the actual scope of the building – in terms of both design and size – was relatively constrained. Ian’s solution, therefore, was for a grand family home that is based on the Scottish Baronial style (SEE BELOW). This was helped markedly by the relative lack of depth of the available rectangular space when seen from the front, meaning a steep pitched roof would be required (happily, a key feature of this style of house design).

“Ian’s scheme managed to include everything we wanted and was, we felt, a house befitting the site,” says Sarah. “There was some element of collaboration, particularly in the internal layouts, but we employed Ian because we knew he’d do a great job, and we wanted to leave him as much free rein as possible.”

“The Baronial style does not sit well with vast areas of glazing, but there are 96 judiciously placed individual windows,” continues Ian, “and so, conscious of the high external wall to floor area ratio (befitting the grandeur of the Baronial style) it quickly became clear that a highly insulated timber frame structure (from Fleming Homes) would be appropriate.” The 150mm timber frame is packed with high levels of insulation, to which is tied a blockwork outer skin. The blockwork has been finished in a traditional harling, consisting of a sand and cement render which achieved its rough finish through tortuous application — namely by getting a group of the more patient men on site to literally throw the stuff onto the walls.

Detailing was essential to the success of the project, which main contractor Jim Smart remembers with an endearing mix of pleasure and pain. “It was a grand job to work on, but some of the detailing was hard work,” he recalls. “John and Sarah insisted on having no harsh angled edges on the outside walls in order to soften and age the appearance, and so we had to shape every single edging block around the house to get a round finish, ready for the harling. They didn’t want a plinth (in line with other local houses) and as a result the harling goes down to ground level, meaning the application of the damp-proofing was vital. The crows-step detailing, for instance, on the gables and the work forming the turrets (they are made from radiused timber frame panels with the harling applied on Rendalath) all adds up.”

Sarah threw herself fully into designing the interiors. Family pieces help to give the new house a feeling of instant age, but Sarah has excelled in coming across glorious reclaimed pieces at local salvage yards that complete the look. A set of charming double hinged doors set off the entrance hall, while a range of furniture, fire surrounds and occasional pieces make the interiors feel firmly established — in a house aiming for instant tradition it’s all too easy to end up with a disappointing plastic feel. On the contrary this feels solid and authentic. Main contractor Jim has turned his hand to some excellent woodturning, creating motifs around the house and a beautiful handmade oak front door.

The resulting house is a spectacular piece of new residential design that falls little short of its grand ambitions. The undoubted highlight is the entrance space — the central section on the front elevation hides an enclosed bridge from the drive which takes visitors onto a gallery overlooking the double-height grand hall. The old service drive to the lower ground level makes the family kitchen ideally placed on the lower level with the service entrance below the bridge, which itself, happily for Sarah, forms a porte-cochere so shopping can be dropped off in the dry.

Most of all, it works both as a grand country house but also as a stylish working family home that provides flexible living (there’s even a lift installed for elderly relatives or, as Sarah laughs, “for me in 60 years!”). “We’re delighted,” says John. “We worked with excellent people, and have created something that finally does the site justice. It’s simply a great house."

Scottish Baronial Style

Baronial style was essentially a slightly romantic offshoot of Victorian architecture, characterised by Mediaeval motifs such as turrets, crow-stepped strong gables and gatehouses. Scottish Baronial is specific to the region and mixes the Gothic revival Victorian architecture from the south with Scottish castle design. Perhaps the best known example of the form is Balmoral Castle, built in the 1850s, but it was in fact the influential writer Sir Walter Scott who contributed most to the cause with his self-built Abbotsford House, completed in 1819.

Further reading:

• Watch a short video about this award-winning self-build
• A Mediaeval Manor on an Island
• A Traditional-style Self-build That Took 35 Years

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