With a garden that stretches to the banks of the Tay and Perth City Centre a short walk away, 3 Mansfield Place has a unique and special location.
The house itself is just as impressive as its setting. The B-listed home is one of a row of four townhouses that date back to around 1840.
It has been beautifully modernised by Andrea and Stewart McMichael. They bought the property around seven years ago, having fallen in love with Perthshire after living near Auchterarder for a while.
A large timber front door opens into a welcoming vestibule that is flooded with afternoon sunlight when I visit.
“We actually use this as a room,” Andrea says. “You get the views over the river and the afternoon sunshine. I like to sit in here if it’s windy or rainy outside.”
The living room has been modernised while retaining its traditional features. There is wooden flooring and an open fireplace. A large window with working shutters looks over the garden and the river.
“Having the open fire is nice,” Andrea continues. “I sometimes put it on if it’s a gloomy or rainy afternoon.”
A dining room next to the living room has a wood burning stove and a window looking over the rear courtyard. It’s a favourite spot to gather the family for Christmas dinner and other special occasions.
Special kitchen
To the rear of the house is where the couple have done the most work. They knocked through two rooms, combining what was a TV room and a kitchen into one much larger space.
A luxurious kitchen occupies one end of the room, and there is a comfortable seating area at the other. Extra windows have been added to throw more light into the room. A large range cooker makes it a warm space in the winter.
Andrea says: “We used a local company called Birkwood to make the kitchen. It’s custom built and hand painted. We looked at kitchens that were off the shelf but they would all have been a compromise. We wanted something that fitted the space and fitted our lifestyle.”
The original garage at Mansfield Place has been converted into a bathroom, utility area and storage space. There are also two beds for the couple’s lovely Labradors, Hector and Amber.
A courtyard has a drying area and is a suntrap for when it’s too windy to be in the main garden.
The couple also built a new garage which has a remote controlled electric door.
Rooms with views
The main stairs lead up to first floor level. A spacious master bedroom faces over the front and has a wonderful outlook over the Tay. There is a second double bedroom and a spacious study/third bedroom at this level, as well as a family shower room.
At half landing level, a couple of steps lead into a wing that sits above the kitchen and utility room. Here there are two interconnected bedrooms. The first double bedroom has an en suite with a high level skylight.
The second has its own staircase down to the ground floor. “We thought about the layout quite carefully,” Andrea explains. “If you’ve got parents and kids the interconnected rooms can be useful, but the separate staircases are ideal if it’s teenagers who want their own space.”
Another bedroom has been created at attic level. This spacious room has outstanding views from its elevated position.
Lots of light
Throughout Mansfield Place, Andrea and Stewart have thought carefully about how to make the best use of light. Most of the bathrooms have high level Velux windows. A Velux also lights the upstairs landing. There are skylights in the rear hallway. And the couple added extra windows in the kitchen and some of the bedrooms.
“We worked with (Dundee-based architect) Jon Frullani on the refurbishment of the house,” Andrea says. “One of the most important thing for us was getting more windows. We hate bathrooms that don’t have windows. And we wanted to make it a house that was filled with light.
“Even on a gloomy day there is lots of natural light in the house.”
Major project
This was the first time Andrea and Stewart had tackled a major renovation. “Stewart works in the airline industry and his job has meant we’ve moved around a lot – we’ve lived in Canada and Dubai before.
“All our previous homes have been modern, new-build properties. This is our first old home and also the first renovation project that we’ve tackled.
“I’ve learned a lot and I would definitely do it again. We would also struggle to go back to a new build house. Once you’ve had high ceilings and all the great traditional features you get with an older house it’s hard to go back. I’d be happy to get another old place that we can put our own stamp on.”
Throughout the renovation project, Andrea tried to add bits of luxury and comfort in where possible. “We put underfloor heating into the bathroom – which is great on a cold winter’s morning. And we put an instant boiling water tap in the kitchen. It sounds silly but I love using it. It’s so much more fun than a kettle.”
Fantastic garden
Immediately in front of the townhouses is a landscaped parking area that is shared and maintained by all of the row’s homeowners.
Beyond that, each house has its own private garden. Andrea and Stewart’s has a large section of newly installed patio. Seating and a firepit make it a perfect relaxing area. A large expanse of lawn stretches down towards the river and has a garden shed.
On the riverbank itself is another large area of grass that again is shared by all four homes. Stone steps and a gate give access to the river.
“We have a kayak and paddleboards,” Andrea explains. “And we get out onto the river quite a lot – especially this summer when the weather has been so good.
“I usually paddle upriver so I can let the current bring me back. My son and his friends often go downriver and I’ll sometimes pick them up in the car.
“We’re very lucky having this on our doorstep.”
Andrea and Stewart, both 51, are planning to move somewhere more rural. “We want to be a little farther out into the countryside,” she says. “However showing our house to prospective buyers has made me realise just how special it is here. I’m going to miss sitting in the garden watching the river flow past.”
3 Mansfield Place, Perth is on sale with Savills for offers over £685,000.
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