Blairmore House is Very Much Loved

BY JEM ANSHAW

Four and a half years ago Rhonda Fry purchased Blairmore House in Aberdeen and she has not looked back.

Originally built in 1900 by Ebenezer Hall, Blairmore House is a Federation style building and once had a separate ballroom and carriage shed on adjoining blocks.

Ebenezer served two terms as mayor of Aberdeen and one of his descendants, Thomas Simpson Hall, was the breeder of the Hall’s Blue Heeler.

Rhonda has compiled a lot of history for the home since purchasing it in 2016 and has been able to identify roughly when different work has been done based on the building styles and materials used.

Blairmore House has four bedrooms, a formal dining room, veranda around the front portion of the home and extensive gardens that are looked after with care.

Rhonda Fry owns Blairmore House in Aberdeen, and loves tending to the memorial gardens she has created in memory of her mother.

Rhonda has a hospitality background so has made her mark on the home by making the kitchen more functional but has been mindful to ensure it still fits the rest of the styling.

Throughout there are pressed metal ceilings and stained-glass features that make looking around a feast for the senses.

The house is furnished with a lot of Rhonda’s family furniture and many pieces of China, glassware, cutlery, and ornaments that have been passed down through the generations.

“I just love old places and I had been renting for 18 months around the corner and I would look at this house and it had a warm, inviting feel,” Rhonda said of her first impression of the home.

“I feel like I am a custodian, I really don’t feel like I own the house as such, I feel like I am caring for it.

“I have 10 grandchildren, six and under, and it is lovely to have a place for them to come – they have a kids paradise in the back yard.”

Rhonda has run a vintage fair and fashion parade at the home as well as opening it up to different community groups including The Lions Club and Scone Rose Society.

“I have people track me down that have a connection to the home and the will say ‘oh can we come and have a look through’ and I am really happy to do that,” she said.

“I am very very lucky, it is a lovely community – a very special place Aberdeen.”