Project Scotland recently visited the revamped Drummond House in Crieff, a former police station where cell doors, windows, and tiles have been retained and incorporated into the design of a unique residential project
A project to sensitively transform a former police station in Crieff into a stunning collection of nine unique apartments is nearing completion.
Drummond House in the heart of the Perthshire town centre comprises a mix of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments. Seven of the nine properties have already been snapped up, with the remaining two on display at a recent open day. The apartments stylishly blend modern living with a nod to the past.
A number of quirky features of the B-listed building – which was constructed in 1900 – related to its former use remain intact, including police cell doors, windows, and enamel tiles. They have been combined with contemporary features such as log burners, high levels of insulation, and quality fittings.
The historic Drummond House, which was used as a police station until 2021, is a semi-detached two-storey with attic over basement building of traditional stone construction beneath a pitched slate tile covered roof. The fabric of the building hasn’t been altered, though a single-storey extension has been added to the rear as part of the work.
The revitalised building is the vision of developer William Frame of Braemore Estates. He told Project Scotland the initiative is an example of what can be achieved in empty properties, especially in town centre locations grappling with the challenges of changing consumer shopping habits and economic uncertainty.
“All market towns in Scotland have got empty buildings,” William said. “And there’s going to be more, with pubs and hotels under huge pressure.”
William revealed the project has been so popular with locals that not one objection was registered as it made its way through the planning process. Part of the reason for that was William’s dedication to engaging with the local community and keeping them informed every step of the way, sharing his ambition to rescue a historic building and help breathe new life into the area.
A mix of buyers have purchased the first seven apartments, including locals, investors, and renowned chef and artisan baker Sam Heeney-Governo, who is set to open her own cookery school across the street and who provided delicious treats for prospective buyers during the open day.
“All the apartments are slightly different,” William explained. “Some have got higher ceilings; some have got lower ceilings. Some have big rooms; some have small rooms. We’ve provided nine interesting apartments here. Not everybody wants a back door, garage, and garden.”
William revealed such projects can have a huge impact on local communities, potentially serving as an inspiration to others to try something similar or just make everybody raise their collective game, whether it be tidying up shopfronts or thinking differently about established properties. He highlighted the ‘great condition’ of many tenements in Edinburgh thanks to the efforts of people to come together to restore them.
Much of the work at Drummond House has been delivered by Clackmannanshire-based Ruman Homes & Renovations. Directors Kerry Jukes and Mateusz Ruman were in attendance at the open day to discuss the construction elements involved in bringing a new lease of life to the ex-police station.
“It’s a beautiful building,” Kerry told Project Scotland. “Upstairs was the constable’s quarters, so it dates from a time when there was accommodation within the units. He would have stayed here with his family. There are nice quirky bits to the building.
“When we first came to look at it in 2024, it was basically as the police had left it. The cells were still usable. Upstairs was decked out as offices. It was in very good condition.”
Kerry revealed one of the biggest challenges when working on older buildings is not knowing what lies behind the walls.
“We found a hidden stairway,” she added. “But there weren’t huge surprises in this building, given the age of it. The most complicated bit was different types of floors – we’ve got concrete floors and wooden floors. We’ve kept the original windows, done a lot of pointing work, and a lot of repairs to the external building to bring it back up to what it used to be. But we haven’t changed the fabric of the building at all.
“When you look at the front of the building, you’ll see that we’ve kept all the original motifs and signs. It’s just been given a new lease of life. We’ve used the cell doors as decoration on the outside (of the apartments), though one of the units has a cell door on the inside. Our interior designer, Jane Adams, has kept the original enamel bricks showing in the cell areas as well. These little touches mean you know the building’s history, but it has a nice modern feel.”
The project serves as an exemplar in terms of showcasing that sustainability elements can be incorporated into older buildings. As well as high levels of insulation, the building is fully electric, with Dunfermline-based GSM Electrical carrying out work on that front.
The design has also made as much use of the existing space as possible, which has minimised waste and the number of walls requiring to be knocked through. “We worked very closely with the architect to make sure we have the right standards of insulation throughout the building,” Kerry added. “We used a combination of wools and Kingspan.
“The electrics has been one of the biggest challenges on the sustainability side, in the sense of the amount of wiring and work that’s been done. GSM have been a fabulous crew to work with and have done an amazing job. It’s been complicated for them since the start. They’ve taken it in their stride.
“You can achieve a lot with older buildings. There’s so much adaptability to them. If you’re prepared to put the time and effort into them, you can do it as cost-effectively as possible.”
• For more information, visit www.drummondhouse.co.uk
