2019-08-01_Homes_&_Antiques 2

FEATUREALISONGIBB PHOTOGRAPHSDOUGLASGIBB

Escapingcitylife,AlisonandStephenMellsfoundthehouse

oftheirdreamsina hamletwithineasyreachofthecoast

Scottish

TheOwners

AlisonMellsis a nursery

teacherandsheruns

craftingworkshops.Her

husband,Stephen,is a

pianotechnician.They

haveeightchildren:

Amy(29),Stephen(28),

Nathanael(24),Matthew

(23),Miriam(19),Jacob

(13),Naomi(11)and

Isaac(9).Theyalsohave

threegrandchildren.

TheProperty

Thefamilylivesin a

four-bedroomcottagein

EastLothian,whichwas

builtin 1850.

SERENITY

espite their
determination
to switch their
busy urban life
for one of rural
seclusion, it took nursery teacher and
craer, Alison Mells, and her husband
Stephen nearly four years to nd just
the right property.
At the time, the family was based in
a popular commuter town, just outside
Edinburgh, living in a spacious new
build with every modern appliance.
But, says Alison, ‘It was never really
me!’ And with eight children, then aged
from six to 26 and their rst grandchild
on the way, the couple had begun to
crave a simpler life in the countryside.
Three years ago, their patience
nally paid o, and they were shown
around a charming 19th-century
cartwright’s coage in a tiny hamlet
just outside Dunbar. That initial visit
to the rambling dwelling proved to be
love at rst sight.

HOMES Collectors’ Coage

August 2019 Homes & Antiques 83