Landscape artist from Northumberland converts former school toilet block into home studio

Linda Scott-Robinson and her husband purchased the old school in the hamlet of Howtel, eight miles northwest of Wooler, in 2004 and have spent the last 20 years renovating the building and its grounds into their home.

The house, virtually derelict when they took it on, now also functions as a gallery for Linda’s portfolio, while the external loos block has been converted into her studio.

Linda, a member of the Tin Shed art group, said: “The original school was built in 1875 and, like many buildings dating to that time, the toilets were in a separate building, with one side for boys and one for girls.

“When we bought the old school the toilet block was still divided into two parts. We knocked it into one space and put windows into the roof and one wall to flood the space with the north-facing light that artists love because it tends to be more consistent.”

The school closed in the 1960s, but Linda says many people from Newcastle remember the building from its spell as Howtel Field Study Centre, when it was a base for adventure excursions in the Cheviot Hills and the Northumberland coast for young people.

Now the building’s serene setting in a stunning landscape inspires Linda’s painting. Another favourite location for Linda, who loves to sketch outdoors is Wester Ross in Scotland, which inspired her latest work Heather at Slaggan Bay.

Visitors are welcome at Linda’s new studio, which is open to the public most weekends or by appointment at other times to view her collection.

She also accepts commissions and can create bespoke artworks of any size.

The artist, who started painting as a child when she was growing up in Glasgow, recently began offering ‘affordable art’, selling her original pieces framed for sums as low as £95 to help people who want to own unique art but struggle to afford it.

Linda will be exhibiting and selling her work at the annual Art in the Castle event at Ayton Castle, near Eyemouth in Berwickshire, over the August Bank Holiday weekend.