Interiors: Rural Georgian Perthshire retreat

Nickie and Nick Pye's Auchenflower property. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

Nickie and Nick Pye created a relaxed rural retreat when they restored this Georgian house in a Perthshire glen to its former glory

AUCHENFLOWER means ‘fields of flowers’ in Gaelic, so it isn’t surprising to discover that this Georgian house has a beautiful location, situated just north of Bridge of Cally, about 11 miles south of the Spittal of Glenshee in the heart of the Perthshire countryside. When Nickie and Nick Pye were looking for a house in 2002, having outgrown their last home after the birth of their son Myles, now 13, they focused on Perthshire. “The scenery is stunning,” Nickie says, “and this is a lovely glen.”

The couple – who are directors of software development company Youmanage – were working from home at the time, which freed up the locations they could consider as long as the property had easy access to the central belt. “We weren’t looking for a house as big as this,” Nickie agrees, but Auchenflower, which had seven bedrooms at the time – it now has five – ticked all the boxes. The house was also a project waiting to happen. As Nickie says: “With each place we’ve owned over the years, we’ve bought an old wreck and done work to it. We can always see the potential.”

This house has an interesting history – and its history explains some of the issues the couple were faced with when they moved here. The building dates from the mid-1700s and was originally a drovers’ inn. The house was much smaller then – it would have comprised what is now the dining room and drawing room – and the traditional L-shaped steading building also dates from around this time.