Wellcraig House is one of those homes that is easy to find but hard to get to.
I park up on Commonty Road,from where I can see the rear roof of the handsome white house. It’s only when I walk down the footpath to the waterfront that I see how I could have driven there along Tayport’s harbour front.
No matter, I’m here now. I buzz the button and the electric gate slides sideways. I walk up the drive to be greeted by Jane and Duncan Geekie.
The couple bought the house in 2008 when it was in quite a sorry state.
“It was just very tired,” Jane explains. “The rooms were small and dark and it hadn’t been decorated in a long time. It needed a bit of TLC.”
The house sits in one of the finest spots on the Tay coast. Occupying a small spur of land jutting out slightly from the neighbouring bay, it’s right on the foreshore and has river views on two sides.
When the Geekies moved in those views were obscured by a small forest in the front garden. They immediately set about clearing the site – which pleased the neighbours.
“We got rid of a lot of trees, Duncan recalls. “Including an 85 foot high Leylandii. When that came down the neighbours in the harbour development were delighted. They’d been living in its shadow for years and all of a sudden they were getting loads of light.”
The house dates from 1815. “It was originally called Waterloo because it was built in the same year as the battle,” Duncan explains. “Its name was later changed to Wellcraig and we quite like that name so we’ve kept it.”
The 4/5 bedroom house required extensive refurbishment. Duncan and Jane set about stripping walls, replacing windows and internal joinery, and chaning room layout.
A cluster of rooms became what’s now the open plan kitchen/dining room.
They also moved the living room upstairs, into what was formerly the master bedroom.
“The views from the ground level are excellent but they’re spectacular from upstairs,” says Jane. “We thought it made more sense to have our sitting room up here.”
There can be few if any properties in Courier Country with views to match those from Wellcraig House. It gazes across the mouth of the Tay to the golden sands of Broughty Ferry and its castle.
The house has two bedrooms on the ground floor, a WC and a boiler/utility room.
Upstairs are two more double bedrooms, a single room used as a study, the lounge and a family bathroom
Duncan (58) was one of Dundee’s very last blacksmiths and is now largely retired. He handmade the ornate iron railings that adorn the house.
Jane (53) works as a technician at Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art.
The couple have four children, three of which are still at home. They’re moving across the water to make logistics easier. “Our kids’ lives are in Dundee,” Jane explains. “Ferrying them over there and back all the time is hard work so it’s easier for us to be there. I’ll miss sitting looking out at the views here though.”
“We’ve been here for eight years and it took us until just about now to get the place looking like we want it to,” Duncan adds. “And now we’re moving out!”
The garden is fully enclosed by a stone wall and has electric gates at the end of its sweeping driveway, creating a real sense of privacy. There’s a raised, decked area to sit and enjoy the views.
To the left of the house is a small patch of wilderness leading down to the water’s edge.
“Deer often come and graze there in the morning,” Jane says. “We also get dolphin swimming up past the house.”
Wellcraig House, Tayport, is for sale through RSB Lindsays for offers over £495,000.