When the homes of architects go up for sale potential buyers are guaranteed to come across design foibles. These are properties in which the owners, who ordinarily design spaces for other people, can indulge their whims — an opportunity that often leads to unexpected quirks.
This is evident in most corners of the Arches, a B listed former cart shed and grain store near Anstruther in Fife.
It belongs to the retired architect Gavin Charlton Brown, who has overhauled some of London’s most regal homes, and his wife, Sarah, a judge.
When the couple bought the building in 2008 it had been converted, but the layout was unsuitable for their needs. It had a number of small sleeping zones with tiny bathrooms. They wanted to make the rooms larger, which they did with the backing of Historic Environment Scotland.
“They were incredibly supportive of the project,” says Charlton Brown. “They were delighted to see the old conservatory go and keen to see the bars on the windows disappear.”
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As part of the reconfiguration the Charlton Browns made the first floor into a living room with a gallery and study at one end leading to a terrace. The room is connected to the ground floor by an oak staircase topped with a newel in the shape of the spire on the ruined St Andrews cathedral.
On the market with Savills for offers of more than £335,000, the seaside home has two bedrooms, one with an en suite and dressing area, a kitchen/dining room and a garage with a loft. In the garden is a decorative statue of Napoleon covering a manhole — a trait of Charlton Brown’s, whose other properties feature large models of cows. The couple are moving south to spend more time in their other homes, but have swithered over whether to sell the Arches.
“[Designing it] has been a way for me to express myself,” Charlton Brown says.
