Stromness home to feature in TV competition

A Stromness writer has opened the doors to her 200-year-old home, and allowed the nation to take a peek inside, as part of a television competition seeking to uncover Scotland’s top home.

Jo Ramsey has lived at 4 Ness Road, part of Double House, for 30 years, but tonight, she will display her home in a fashion like none other.

Scotland’s Home of the Year sets out to showcase outstanding homes, and sees three property experts travel to nine regions before the grand finale is held.

The Orkney and Shetland episode will air on BBC Scotland tonight at 10pm.

The judges, interior designer Anna Campbell Jones, architect Michael Angus and blogger Kate Spiers, judge the homes on three key criteria — design, style and architecture.

Jo says the unique nature of her home convinced her to agree to a friend’s suggestion that she enter it in Scotland’s Home of the Year.

It marks the second consecutive year that there will be Stromness interest in the competition, after The Wheelhouse, owned by Liam Temple and Caro Stockan, was narrowly beaten in the final in 2020.

Jo, who composes poetry and short stories, and is also a copy editor, says she loved seeing Stromness being represented during last year’s programme and, while she was hesitant at first, she enjoyed the experience of allowing a film crew into her loved home.

Built around 1812, Double House is a category B-listed terraced house, and is a row of three houses back-to-back with another three at the south end of the town.

“It has been an interesting experience, if slightly nerve-wracking process,” Jo said ahead of the episode’s airing.

Home since moving to Orkney from London in 1991, Jo said she agreed to enter the competition because “it would actually be nice to have a traditional stone Orkney house in the programme.”

The house is up against two other homes in Shetland, with the winner going through to the national final.

• Producers of the programme are now encouraging entries to take part in series four of Scotland’s Home of the Year. Applications should be sent to scotlandshomes@iwcmedia.co.uk and should include contact details, a brief description of the home and a few photographs. Please note, only primary residences can apply to take part.