Hepburn GardensSt. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9LN

HISTORY

The prominent architects Mills and Shepherd designed the White House in the Arts and Crafts style for Norman Boase in 1904. The house was completed in 1905, the year the 45th Open Championship was held at the Old Course and won by local golf legend James Braid. The house was then extended by the same architects in 1911.

Norman Boase was Provost of St Andrews from 1927 until 1936. He was a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and became chairman of the championship committee in 1920. During his tenure the R&A took on management of both the Amateur Championship and The Open Championship. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of the R&A as the ruling body of golf in Britain and in expanding its international role. Edward, Prince of Wales was Captain of the R&A in 1922 and Boase selected the artist Sir William Orpen to paint his portrait which still hangs in the clubhouse today. He served on the building committee during the 1923 clubhouse re-model, and was nominated as captain himself in 1935 / 36.

DESCRIPTION

The house is L-plan and the walls are harled and painted under a roof of Caithness stone slabs. There are protruding gables and a mixture of pedimented and flat-roofed dormer windows breaking the eaves. The steep, gabled roof is tiled and there are four tall rendered chimneystacks with clay cans. The house has a corner entrance sheltered by an open loggia.

Internally, there are original Arts and Crafts features, including stained timber beams in the principal reception rooms, plain moulded cornicing, timber picture rails and panelled doors. There is a wide, timber staircase, well-lit by a large window, with moulded timber balusters and handrail. There are a number of fireplaces with plain stone surrounds and decorative timber mantelpieces.

Accommodation

The sellers bought the house in 2022 and have carried out substantial renovation and redecoration works, inside and out, since that time.

The open loggia gives access to the L shaped hall with a tiled and wooden floor. There is a boot room and cloakroom off with a separate WC. The main hall also has another separate WC.

The three principal rooms which run along the front of the house comprise a study, drawing room and dining room. The study has a panelled screen, beamed ceiling, bay window and door to the garden. The drawing room has a beamed ceiling and fireplace with marble inset and carved wooden mantel. The dining room has a fireplace with wooden panelling above.

A service corridor with a store and dog room connects to the utility room with two Belfast sinks and a door to the garden. This adjoins the kitchen which has a two oven AGA, double sink and fitted cupboards. There is a separate walk-in pantry with original drawers and cupboards.

Beyond this there is a family room, a fitness room, a second kitchen with a door to the garden, and a separate WC.

First Floor

The wide stairway leads up to the long galleried landing on the first floor. There are four large bedrooms - each with en suites - as well as another bedroom, two additional shower rooms and a separate WC.

There are three further bedrooms (a triple, twin and double) served by a bathroom and plenty of storage space. There is also a heated linen store with wooden shelved cupboards.

Garden and Grounds

The garden extends to 1.482 acres and are enclosed by sandstone walls and high wooden fences.

The gate piers off Hepburn Gardens are topped by domed coping stones. Electric gates open to a private drive which leads to a spacious parking and turning area at the front door. There is a detached, flat-roofed, double garage.

There is a new paved terrace around the house connecting to the gardens which continue to the west, south and east of the house. There are large expanses of lawn fringed by hedges and trees with a path and steps down to the gate onto the Lade Braes path. There is a large fenced kitchen garden. In the northeast corner is a drying green, a six-hole putting lawn and a screened oil storage tank.

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