One Dornoch home perfectly fits the description ‘chocolate box cottage’ as it’s packed full of sweet delights you’ll want to sample again and again.
Today we can answer a question that has intrigued thousands of people: “Who lives in that house?”
The house in question is the beautiful Sluice Keepers Cottage at The Mound on the outskirts of Dornoch. The house stands in an area of outstanding beauty overlooking the edge of Loch Fleet, a national reserve managed by Scottish Natural Heritage, and can be seen by all those heading north across the Mound Bridge on the A9.
As you cross the bridge, your eyes can’t help but be drawn towards the A-listed cottage just to the left of it, which has been lovingly brought back to life by owners Brian and Maggie Holmes. Having bought the cottage when it was a derelict wreck, they took on the challenge of creating the gorgeous home seen here today, a challenge that took two years of hard work and patience.
Often referred to as a chocolate box cottage, a term which relates to the days when chocolates were packaged in tins and boxes featuring pictures of pretty rural cottages, the term is perfectly relevant today for this charming, period home as it conjures up feelings of nostalgia and comfort in the most beautiful of surroundings.
Thought to have been built between 1815 and 1819, for the keeper of The Mound Bridge and floodgates, it was listed by Historic Scotland in 1971 as a building of historical and architectural interest. The famous engineer Thomas Telford had an advisory role in the construction of the “stagecoach” bridge leading to the cottage.
This bridge was used by stagecoaches until around 1871 and was still used for local horse-drawn traffic up until the early 20th century.
The creation of the sluice and The Mound split the tidal estuary of Loch Fleet in two and the sluice gates were installed to allow the River Fleet to flow downstream into the estuary, but stop the salt water coming back into the lagoon. The keeper’s cottage also served as The Mound post office when the Dornoch light railway operated to its junction with the main line between 1902 and 1960. It was occupied by sluice-keeper and postmaster Wallace Mackay until 1983 and was thereafter owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds until Mr and Mrs Holmes bought it in 2004.
Because of the unique location of the cottage, it was the subject of a fierce bidding war. “We were very lucky to get it, but what we got was a cottage which looked lovely on the outside but inside it was pretty derelict as I don’t think it had been used for 20 years. The windows were boarded up and the interior was of no consequence as there were no original features to speak of,” said Maggie.
“But we loved the location and the structure of the house as it’s unusual and not what you’d expect of a working man’s cottage of that time period. It’s definitely of a higher standard and we think perhaps Thomas Telford might have had a hand in the design of it.”
Brian worked as a builder, specialising in period homes, so he used his skills to renovate the A-listed cottage, but even with his knowledge, it took two years to complete.
“This was his baby, his dream home and he worked hard to put in all the wonderful period-style features such as raised skirtings, coving and ceiling rose, oak kitchen and a spiral cellar which is accessed from the living room. He’d seen one of these in a mansion he’d worked on and always wanted to have one in his own home.”
Entrance to the three-bedroom cottage is via a porch which, in turn, leads to a well-proportioned double-bedroom with views front and side, feature fireplace and an en suite shower room. The large kitchen is fitted with a range of solid oak wall and base storage units, granite worktops, Belfast sink and Aga while a walk-in larder off the kitchen provides plenty of additional storage space.
The house, which is on the market at offers over £235,000, has an inner hallway which leads to the WC and a room which could be a formal dining room or a bedroom. There is a further double bedroom complete with en-suite which includes wood panelling, free-standing bath, WC and wash-hand basin.
Often, the appeal of properties such as Sluice Keepers Cottage is the cosy and warm feelings they evoke. This is evident in the sitting room which, as well as enjoying ever-changing views of Loch Fleet, has an abundance of features including a multi-fuel stove, raised skirtings, ceiling coving, centre rose and wall-mounted lights, all of which add to the ambience. A hatch in the sitting room gives access to an ingenious spiral cellar which is used for storing wine and other items.
“While the idea of building the spiral cellar was a good one, it took a huge amount of effort to create because the house is built on solid rock. I remember Brian having to use jack hammers and all sorts to carve it out,” said Maggie who for more than 30 years ran the Rainbow Hair Salon in Dornoch.
The house also has two attics, both of which are floored. Access is via the hallway and second bedroom.
Outside, there are nicely landscaped and easily maintained gardens full of shrubs and colourful plans, a patio area and two timber sheds, one of which has a utility area. Sitting on the edge of Loch Fleet means the cottage is in a stunning location. Loch Fleet has sand dunes, coastal heath and pinewoods. The pine woodland supports species such as Scottish crossbill, crested tit and pine marten.
On the edge of the tidal basin at low tide you can see the intense feeding activity of hungry wading birds. Walk out on to the sand dunes and you can enjoy the carpet of wild flowers that nestles on the dunes against a grey lichen backdrop. Or wander in the woodland and smell the fresh scent of pine needles while searching out rare pinewood plants.
Loch Fleet is a National Nature Reserve and, as such, the area is a haven for a variety of wildlife including Atlantic salmon passing through the estuary on their way to the River Fleet. “I love looking out the kitchen window as the views are fantastic and full of wildlife – I’m currently watching six swans swimming by,” said Maggie, who now runs a holiday letting agency in Dornoch.
“This house is lovely and we have loved living here. Every time I tell people my address I get the same reaction – ‘Oh you’re the person who lives in that lovely house’.”
Sadly, Brian had a brain stem stroke a year ago which has resulted in locked-in syndrome so the family are now looking to move to a disabled-friendly one-level property which will allow him to live at home, but his hard work and efforts restoring the cottage has ensured that future generations can enjoy living in a wonderful home in a unique location, for years to come.
Contact: Strutt and Parker on 01463 719171.
