Surrounded by mature trees and with lawn stretching out in front of me I could be standing outside a country house at the heart of a vast estate.
In reality, Dunfermline’s High Street is within a 30 second walk.
“The location is perfect for us,” Comely Park House’s owner Judith O’Leary says.
“Marks and Spencer is at the top of the road. Our boys can go for nights out without having to worry about taxis home.”
Dating back to 1785 but significantly expanded in the late 19th Century, Comely Park House is set over three floors with outbuildings and extensive gardens.
It’s packed with unique features. My favourite is a wrought iron bridge which runs from the first floor across to a secret garden above the outhouses.
Judith, 49, and her husband Ken, 56, bought the house 11 years ago. It was previously the headquarters for the Carnegie Trust and the couple received permission to convert the building back into a house.
“It was all ugly offices when we got it but the original features were still there,” Judith continues.
The couple worked in consultation with Historic Scotland in restoring the C Listed building and used Richmond Homes to carry out the work.
They removed a wall between the kitchen and dining room to create a much larger open plan space. A new central heating system allows all three floors to be controlled independently, making the house much cheaper to heat.
The ground floor has a living room, sitting room, kitchen/dining room, utility and office. On the first floor is an enormous master bedroom with dressing room and en suite, two more double bedrooms and a family bathroom.
“The master bedroom was once the boardroom for the Carnegie Trust,” Judith says. “It’s far too big for a bedroom but it would have been a shame to split it.”
The top floor has four more double bedrooms – some with space and plumbing for en suites – and a bathroom.
There’s a floored attic with the scope for even further development.
The large garden is ringed by mature trees, including the oldest beech in Dunfermline. It also has a weather vane from the original Dunfermline wall – “it’s even more listed than the house,” Judith smiles.
Judith and Ken are converting the neighbouring coach house. “We’ve got permission to run a driveway up from the road and fence part of the garden off so the two houses will be quite private from one another,” she says.
“The main house is lovely but we don’t need all this space now.
“I do hope we get good neighbours though.”
jmkeown@thecourier.co.uk
Comely Park House, Dunfermline is on with Rettie for o/o £685,000.