The starting point

As the first project of both its original architect and the one who would reshape it 150 years later, this little coach house in Argyll has been on quite a journey

- Chae Strathie

DETAILS

What A redesigned 170-year-old gig house

Where: Cove, Rosneath Peninsula

Architect George Woodrow, Woodrow Vizor Architects

Structural Engineer James McLean

Good things come to those who wait. That’s a phrase that’ll be familiar to fans of a certain well-known Irish stout, but it could just as easily be the motto of James and Charlotte McLean, who own Seymour Lodge, a beautiful villa designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson on the banks of Loch Long. That’s because in 2007 they embarked on a project to convert the gig house, or coach house, in the grounds of their home – but it wasn’t until 2018, after no fewer than three planning applications had been submitted, that it was finally completed.

The McLeans’ patience paid off in the end. The old building, also designed by the great Glasgow architect to house a carriage, horses and a very small groom, is now a warm and tranquil space for James, Charlotte and their two children to enjoy.

When the couple bought Seymour Lodge in 2002 the gig house was being used as a shed. “You couldn’t even get up into the first floor because the hayloft had such a thin, fragile wooden floor,” recalls Charlotte, a landscape architect. “We found loads of interesting things here, though – tennis court posts, the original gates (which we’ve had copied), the old bell system for the house, and a little bed for the groom boy – he must have been tiny!”