Stately home ready for new lease of life

A STATELY home in the Mearns has been given a major makeover to turn it into a conference centre and wedding venue.

Historic Fasque House at Fettercairn was formerly owned by the family of Victorian prime minister William Gladstone.

The current owners of the Georgian mansion will mark its transformation later this month by hosting a wedding fair.

The property was bought last year by Fasque House Properties and Douglas and Heather Dick-Reid have spent much of the last eight months working on the A-listed building.

Mr Dick-Reid, managing director of Fasque House Properties, said: “Working on Fasque House has been a labour of love.

“Like all historic buildings, we have had to pay a lot of attention to detail and take our time in getting things right. Fasque House is a truly magnificent example of the golden age of country house living.”

The three-storey property was built around 1810 and sold in 1829 to John Gladstone, the uncle of Sir William Gladstone, who was prime minister four times during the reign of Queen Victoria and a regular visitor to Fasque.

The building, last used as a family home in the early 1930s, has 16 bedrooms, eight bathrooms and seven reception rooms. It features a spectacular cantilevered staircase.

Mr Dick-Reid said: “Our aim is to restore Fasque House as our family home which is available for weddings, conferences and other special occasions in keeping with the elegance of the house as intended by the people who built it more than 200 years ago.”

The wedding fair will be held at Fasque on Sunday, March 27.