UNTIL 2009, Jura House, on the Isle of Jura's Ardfin estate, was a somewhat glum shooting lodge, originally built by William Burn in the 1830s and enlarged by Alexander Ross 50 years later. Its attraction was less the Victorian architecture, which had perhaps never been distinguished, but the exceptional landscape setting. Overlooking the mountains of nearby Islay, it commands glorious views over the constantly changing sea and shoreline. More than 10 miles of fretted coast is trimmed with beaches of grey sand that are inviting for rugged barbecues. Guns had been coming for generations to cull Jura's splendid stags, which can weigh 25 stone; shoot the dusk flights of woodcock as they emerge from woods to feed on pastureland; or even bag one of the island's colony of wild goats. In the summer, midges permitting, there were hill walks and trout fishing for the energetic, with, nearer the house, a large walled garden planted with tree ferns and other exotic species that can be grown on the west coast of Scotland, due to the gulf stream. What a place to holiday with young children.
Certainly, it caught the imagination of the present owner, for whom the spectacular views (Fig 1) more than made up for the rather forbidding character of the house. Initially, the decorator Louise Jones was asked to do little more than repaint the walls and recover the furniture. But the project grew. The owners found they liked Jura House so much that they wanted to share it with guests; by 2012, the architect Alireza Sagharchi of Stanhope Gate Architecture had been asked for a scheme that would completely reimagine the house, creating a new entrance on the landward side and adding a new wing to east and west.
Esta historia es de la edición August 31, 2022 de Country Life UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición August 31, 2022 de Country Life UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
