Leaves rustle on the quiet cobbled pavement as you approach Number 10 Marine Terrace.
An icy wind rushes through the street, whistling past the wrought iron railings and the cold granite of the terraced houses.
Pressing the bell on number 10 has me turning up my coat collar, with the unassuming frontage giving nothing away.
Yet this period home comes with a history that has visitors standing to attention.
Designed by renowned Aberdonian architect Archibald Simpson, the grade B-listed townhouse was built in 1837 as a dwelling for a ship’s captain.
Along with Number 9 next door, the properties stood alone for 40 years before the rest of the terrace was built with some slight alterations to Simpson’s original sketches.
And it’s not just the name of the street that lingers as a reminder of the house’s previous tenants, as current owners Jennifer and John Heiton say they still hear ships at the harbour blowing their horns at midnight on Hogmanay to mark the start of the New Year.
“Number 9 and 10 are totally different to the other houses on the street,” said Jennifer, who works as an investment banker.
“They are double fronted and entirely symmetrical on the inside.
“I think it gives the house a lovely flow which you don’t often see in buildings these days.”
The seven-bedroom property was the first home the couple bought together, and has been a steady presence in their at-times hectic lives.
And in the seven years the Heitons have lived at Marine Terrace, it has certainly been a busy time, with an engagement, a wedding and the birth of their daughter Stephanie – now aged two.
“The house has grown with us,” Jennifer said.
“It’s gone from being a young professional’s house to a family home, and we’ve evolved how we’ve used the space.
“It was a house we fell in love with at first sight.
“We had missed out on a few houses before we came to this one, and although I was frustrated at the time I’m glad it played out the way it did.
“With Marine Terrace we had a viewing on Saturday and by Tuesday our offer had been accepted.
“So it was all very quick.”
But Jennifer, 37, and John, 41, knew exactly what they were looking for: a home with character, and Number 10 has plenty of it.
The glossy black front door with its brass letterbox sets the tone for the rest of the house, which is both elegant and modern yet with countless period features throughout.
Immediately obvious are the high ceilings, complete with ornate plasterwork and original cornicing.
Jennifer is a particular fan of the fabulous panelled doors, each one a few inches wider than usual standards and painstakingly painted in a silky black.
Large Georgian windows are a feature in every room, with their vast size a relatively unusual sight around Aberdeen.
“The windows make it feel like you might be in a house in Edinburgh,” said Jennifer.
“Looking out on to the street it doesn’t feel like you are in the centre of Aberdeen.
“And we haven’t put curtains up on any of the windows because I didn’t want to hide their classic look.
“There are working shutters which we pull across in the evenings and they keep the rooms surprisingly cosy.”
The house is centrally heated throughout, but feature fireplaces in virtually every room hark back to the days before modern heating systems were a given.
And as you would expect, each fireplace has been immaculately finished, some with marble hearths and a working stove, and others with traditional black panelling or bricks with a bronze surround.
Jennifer and Mark, who is a company director, were eager to keep a sense of the property’s character as they went about modernising Number 10.
“I grew up in a modern home in Westhill,” said Jennifer.
“But I’ve never lived in a modern house since as I just love the personality of traditional homes.
“I’m really into interior design and enjoy seeing the evolution of a building.”
And it’s that desire to see a period property sympathetically brought into the 21st century which is part of the reason that the Heitons are moving on.
“We’ve got the chance to move into a once-in-a-lifetime-type property just out of Aberdeen city centre,” said Jennifer.
“It is a house which is in the traditional style we love and we just couldn’t say no.
“It wasn’t an easy decision though and we did question why we were leaving Marine Terrace as it’s been everything we have wanted over the years.
“But we are just custodians of the house really.
“It couldn’t be ours forever.”
Offers should be made in the region of more than £875,000.
Contact Simpson and Marwick on 01224 622622.
