A Living Time Capsule

This 19th century home has been lovingly restored, writes Wendy Glass

LOCATED high on a hillside overlooking Braemar and uninhabited for almost 90 years, Downie’s Cottage was on the verge of ruin when it was bought by Jackie and Calum Innes in 2006.

“The cottage was sold with planning permission to demolish it and build a new house,” says Jackie, who lives with Calum in Blairgowrie. “That was our plan – until we took a proper look at it.

“The cottage had lain empty since its previous resident, James Downie, died in the 1930s. Everything was exactly as he’d left it, apart from the ravages of time and a few souvenir hunters.

“There were two rooms downstairs: the kitchen and the parlour. A large wooden chimney flue – which we now know is a ‘hanging lum’ and typical of 19th century rural homes in the central Highlands – dominated the kitchen, where there was also a box bed with a straw mattress. There were personal belongings scattered across the stone floor and crumbling pieces of furniture – old boots, clothing, cooking implements, Bibles, Victorian Christmas cards, even a wedding invitation.