When Robert Peat lost his wife Doreen around 14 years ago his life was thrown into disarray.
After so many years of marriage, he struggled with the isolation of being alone. His close friends Robert and Elisabeth Hill suggested he come and live with them.
He did so and the arrangement worked. So much so that the three of them bought a house together.
“I had known Elisabeth since around 1990,” Robert Peat says. “She and Robert and myself and Doreen were very close friends. It felt right to move in with them after Doreen passed away.”
Very sadly, Elisabeth died in 2020 after suffering from Covid. The 82-year old was a former district councillor and one of the foremost experts in Angus on supporting people with drug and alcohol addictions. She was awarded the OBE in 2000.
Since then, the two men have continued to share a home together.
The house that Robert, Elisabeth, and Robert bought is called Strathella Steading. It’s located at the end of a farm track on a hillside midway between Brechin and Montrose.
Former steading
Once a farm steading, it was converted into a house around a quarter of a century ago. The track leading up to it is shared with one other house, and the two homes are divided by trees and a high hedge, giving each property plenty of privacy.
“My grown up daughters live in Glasgow and they wonder how I can live in the middle of nowhere,” Robert Peat smiles. “Yes we’re up a farm track but Brechin and Montrose are only 10 minutes away.”
The front door opens into a spacious reception hall. The living room has a spectacular vista across the Angus countryside to the Sidlaw Hills. On a clear day you can even see the Perthshire mountains beyond.
A wood burning stove sits on a plinth and keeps the room warm, while French doors open onto a patio that gets the sunshine all afternoon and evening.
A door from the living room opens into a study that’s ideal for working from home. Next to the living room is a large dining room that also has superb views.
Spectacular space
The enormous open plan kitchen/family room is quite spectacular. Stretching nearly 40 feet in length, it is a huge room. A vaulted ceiling with a galleried landing above makes it feel even bigger.
“This is the room that sold us on the house,” Robert smiles. “We put in a wood burning stove which makes it an easy room to keep warm. The heat flows upstairs and helps warm the bedrooms too.”
The vaulted ceiling is timber lined and has skylight windows. There is a large range cooker, a dining table, and a seating area with comfortable chairs.
The kitchen has a walk-in pantry and there’s a utility room and boot room. A double garage could be used as a workshop.
Another special room is the drawing room. With three full walls of bookshelves, each one jammed with tomes, it’s a reader’s paradise. “Elisabeth loved books,” Robert Hill says. “Whenever we passed a book shop she would come out with at least five or six books.”
Stairs from the kitchen lead to the upper level. A galleried landing has two comfy sofas, each placed below a Velux window. “These are also really nice spots to sit and enjoy a book,” Robert says.
Strathella Steading has two wings
The landing divides the upper level into two wings. One of these contains the master bedroom, which has an en suite bathroom, and two more bedrooms that share a jack n’ jill bathroom.
At the other end of the house is another large en suite bedroom along with two more bedrooms and a shower room. The larger of these bedrooms has a balcony that gets the sunshine in the morning.
“The layout is ideal for large families and the house could even be a great bed and breakfast,” Robert says. “It’s also perfect for our situation. We each have our own section of the house so we don’t disturb one another.”
Strathella Steading has gardens that wrap around the house. Patios at either side ensure there’s a spot to enjoy the sunshine at any time of day.
There’s plenty of parking, several sheds and a summerhouse.
Happy dogs
The two Roberts share Strathella with their labradoodle Landa and westie Ferguson. It’s a great place to be a dog. Rossie Moor lies just one field away and is a large tract of wilderness. You can walk across countryside to Lunan Bay. Montreathmont Forest is a short distance away too.
Robert Peat, 68, was director of social work and health at Angus Council and then deputy chief executive of the council until his retirement in 2013. After retiring he went on to chair the Dundee Drugs Commission.
South African Robert Hill, who was awarded the MBE, was a computing teacher at Linlathen and then Braeview Academy.
With Robert Hill having just turned 84 the two men have decided the time is right to sell Strathella Steading. The older Robert is concerned about his ability to manage stairs and although one of the downstairs rooms could be used as a bedroom, the pair have decided the house is much bigger than they need.
Sticking together
They don’t intend to alter what has become a successful partnership, however.
“We’re intending to buy another place together,” Robert Peat says. “Sharing a house has worked very well for us.
“We’ll look for a bungalow and probably be aiming for somewhere closer to Dundee and Broughty Ferry.
“When you’ve been married for so many years and you lose someone it’s very difficult to adjust to living alone. It’s too easy to become lonely and isolated. After Doreen died I stopped watching television because the fun of it was putting a show on and talking about it together afterwards.
“A lot of widowers must feel the same way we do. Having someone to share a house with and having company all day is really valuable.
“I hope more people consider this kind of living arrangement.”
Strathella Steading, Farnell, Angus is on sale with Thorntons for offers over £525,000.
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