Inside the former laird's house now on the market for £1.45m

Appearances can be deceptive but thanks to a sympathetic renovation by the current owners, Letham House is now beautiful both inside and out.

The 17th Century property near Haddington, East Lothian, is on the market for offers over £1.45m. PIC: Angus Behm - SquareFoot

For Barbara and Chris Sharman buying this three storey, B-listed, 17th century, former Laird’s house on the outskirts of Haddington was very much a decision based on emotion as

Barbara recalls: “We saw Letham advertised, came to view, drove down the drive and even before we came in the house we’d made our decision,” says Barbara. “We met the owner, shook on it, and that was it,” Chris confirms.

However, everything wasn’t quite what it seemed, as the couple quickly discovered. “I thought the work was mainly cosmetic and we’d be done in six months,” laughs Barbara.

Owners Chris and Barbara Sharman knew they would buy Letham House as soon as they saw it but are now selling up after 13 years. PIC: Contributed.

Chris continues: “Basically what you see today is a new house in the old shell, literally everything you see is new. Walls, plaster, cornicing, fireplaces, roof, terrace, driveway, kitchens, plumbing, heating, electrics and drainage – nothing worked. When the Victorian tennis court had been added, the ground was levelled right up to the house but it was actually too high so every door was up two steps and the house sat in a sort of hollow which made it very damp. It was also surrounded by trees that obscured many of the windows, so it was incredibly dark too.”

Fortunately the couple weren’t deterred by this huge undertaking – indeed, Chris even proposed during the renovation and eventually their wedding took place here as well.

As part of the renovation Barbara and Chris chose to make some structural changes after getting Historic Scotland on board. “The biggest thing we did structurally,” says Chris, “was to knock through from the dining room into the second kitchen which would have been the original cool room for the house which dates back to 1645 and which is now accessed by our hidden door. The wall was nine feet thick.

The living room at the B-listed property. PIC: Contributed.

“We’ve also built a garden room on the site of the original Victorian glass house which apparently housed a swimming pool. We only know this because our architect after looking at the plans told us we were so lucky to have this amazing glass house and we said we knew nothing about it. It had been knocked down! Fortunately Historic Scotland didn’t ask us to reinstate it although they could have and we had to apply for retrospective planning to remove it.”

The couple lived, or should that be camped in the house and on site in a caravan throughout the 18-month renovation and whilst it was tough they were spurred on by their ideas of what Letham could become.

“We didn’t want an old fashioned, dated, historical house,” Barbara explains, “However, we did want something in keeping with the period and we spent a lot of time deliberating on colours, carpets, wallpaper and fabrics. We had about a third of the furniture already and some lovely pieces from both our families. To give them a new lease of life, we had them recovered and reupholstered where necessary. Indeed, grandmother’s Bergere sofas were recovered and now complement the drawing room beautifully.”

As well as the tasteful décor, the furniture and accessories play a huge part in Letham’s character. Barbara bought the entire contents of an antique shop several years ago and many of these pieces have been used in the property. In the music room, the harmonium was a wedding present from Letham’s former owner, and the large chest is the MacBrayne family’s silver chest.

The couple spent 18 months renovating the property - and then decided to get married at their new home. PIC: Contributed.

Over the past five years, an ongoing process of redecoration and improvements have continued and for this couple, lockdown was a relatively pleasant experience. “Everything we could do to modernise the property has been done,” Chris explains. “We have a wireless fire alarm system, underfloor heating, even heated mirrors in all the bathrooms, and whilst Barbara and I are now retired it’s incredibly easy to work from home here. We installed CAT5 cabling and we also have an international phone system; it’s a very modern house.” Barbara continues: “For me the real appeal of the house is the grounds, we spent lockdown working on them and they’re looking idyllic. We have 4.5 acres of garden and it is just a beautiful, very private oasis. You have no idea you’re a stone’s throw from Haddington or 30 minutes from Edinburgh.”

The Sharmans have certainly worked hard in their 13 years at Letham but they’ve had a lot of good times too. This seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom property has been a great family home and is the place for parties, having hosted several family weddings. “We’ve had great fun here with our family and grandchildren,” says Barbara. “However, we’re on a new chapter and we’re hoping to fulfil a joint ambition to build our own home, an eco one.”

“Ultimately, this project would never have worked if Barbara and I hadn’t had the right mindset,” Chris explains. “If it had been a building contractor managing it, it would have been a different house altogether. We’ve really built a home and now it’s time for us to build another, albeit something quite different.”Knight Frank are inviting offers in excess of £1,450,000 for Letham House, visit www.knightfrank.co.uk