ALTHOUGH Meadowvale is located in the heart of Aberdeen, the cute cottage offers a real rural feel. Indeed, this fact was the main reason the owners Wendy and Matthew Garrett bought the house 12 years ago. After travelling for over a year, the couple got married and settled down. After selling their respective flats, they began to look for a place they could both call home.
Wendy said: "I am a country girl and I was looking for a nice country cottage but Matthew, having worked in London previously, thought that might be a bit remote for him."
After months of looking, the couple came across an advertisement in the Press and Journal for a "country cottage in the heart of Aberdeen".
"We didn’t know what to expect when we went to view the cottage, but as soon as we walked through the doors we just knew this was the place for us", said Wendy. "We like living here as it is close to work, within walking distance to town and has lots of nice scenic walks along the river and into Duthie Park. Ruthrieston Burn runs at the back of the cottage and we find it very relaxing listening to it running past as we sit in the secluded garden."
The cottage, which is full of character and history, has been extended over the years and is believed to date back to 1790, when Ruthrieston consisted of farm cottages surrounded by a large meadow – hence the name Meadowvale. Wendy said: "We have title deeds going back to the days when they were hand written and bound with ribbon. These deeds tell the story of the families who lived in the cottage and it seems that every family has added to the property and we are no exception. The documents themselves are beautiful. We’re going to leave them for the new owners. We’ve added our document to it so the new owners will have a big package detailing the history of the house."
The cottage, which has been extremely well maintained by Wendy and Matthew over the years, includes a conservatory with ThermaSkirt skirting board heating, a traditional cottage-style open lounge with solid oak flooring and feature fireplace and a good-sized dining area. The country-style kitchen is well equipped and includes a large breakfast bar. It leads to a utility room and shower room.
"Everyone that has lived here has made some form of change," said Wendy. "The previous owners put on an extension and last year we decided that we would like a sun lounge to enjoy the Aberdeen weather. We’ve also put in our own little bits throughout the house. I built the kitchen; I love DIY. We also put underfloor heating and a ThermaSkirt heating system into the conservatory."
The inner hallway gives access to a second bathroom and three double bedrooms, which include the large master bedroom which overlooks the attractive gardens. Outside, the couple had the drive cleared and blocked to give the front a facelift and even added new gardens last year. The well-kept grounds provide a pleasant sheltered area and the large lock-block driveway allows ample off-street parking. A garage, greenhouse and further outbuilding can also be found.
"The house is hidden away in a residential area and has an instant homely feel to it which has been commented on by so many visitors over the years," said Wendy. "In the time that we have lived here we have never stopped travelling, but Meadowvale Cottage has always been a welcoming place to come home to; a home where it is easy to switch off from the pressures of the outside world. Our dream is to eventually build our own eco-house but, for the foreseeable future, we are moving to Delft in Holland where Matthew works. "This has been a very happy home to live in and we hope that someone else feels the same way about the cottage."
Source:
The Press and Journal - 17th May 2011
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