2019-08-01_Homes_&_Antiques 2

CLOCKWISEFROMABOVE

Stephenmadethecoffeetablefrom

a treestump.AlisoncollectsPolishblue-

and-whitechina;theredleatherclub

chairis fromDFS;thestandardlamp

is fromSamBurns’Yard.Stephen

madethebluedisplaycabinet.

Situated on the eastern leg of the

famous John Muir Way, a popular

walking and cycling route that runs

coast to coast across the heart of

Scotland, it would be hard to nd a

more idyllic location. Just a short drive

from the sea, seled in a hidden valley

surrounded by elds and hedgerows,

and under an hour east of Edinburgh,

it was convenient, too.

Built as a home and workshop for

master cartwright Alexander

Mandeson in 1850, the house stayed in

the same family until the 1940s. ‘The

descendants still live nearby,’ says

Alison, and through them she has

learned much about the history of the

house and its inhabitants. ‘The living

room was originally the workshop

and my cra studio had been the

bakery,’ she explains, adding that a

family of six lived in the middle section

of the house, and another family of

four occupied the other end. The

conservatory, which they use as a

HOMES Collectors’ Coage

84 Homes & Antiques August 2019