Dolu – My First Unicorn House – Indoor &Outdoor Waterproof Pink Outdoor Playhouse for Kids Aged 2 to 5 (H125cm)

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There is no typical day at Unicorn House but there is a rhythm to the way we operate. Underpinning our ethos is the belief that everyone who walks in should feel welcome. We have created a calm and relaxed environment. The day often starts with a hot Yoga Session and we have some of the best local yoga teachers at Unicorn House. Everywhere you go in Scotland you can see them,” Hanley told me. “You just need to know where to look. Today, people read history through a 21st-Century lens – be it social media or whatever – and we miss the bigger picture as to how this all came together. Yet there’s a definite thread to follow. The unicorn is a symbol built on an ideology, and learning about it opens doors and surprises you. Even I find it almost unexplainable at times.” To curate a similar look I would recommend local companies like Original House in Calmsden, Antiques Emporium at Griffin Mill in Stroud, Laura Long contemporary art, Heugah Interiors, Rachel Cropper in Tetbury, Oops a Daisy and Roses in Cirencester for plants and Cotswold Tiles in Cirencester.

Bachmann, Hornby, Peco, Accurascale, Heljan, Rapido Uk, Gaugemaster, Metcalfe, Ratio, Wills, Modelscene, Roundhouse, Oxford Diecast, Corgi, Scalextric, Harburn Hamlet, Farish, Dapol, Woodland ScenicsThose who have practiced can then shower and head off to their own workspaces or members can settle down for a day in the House. Coffee and tea are always on the brew. The Community Manager then spends the day answering queries, showing the space, looking after meeting room guests and supporting members with any ad hoc requests. We pride ourselves on Unicorn House looking shipshape so you will often find any one of us with a pair of marigolds on if we get a spare moment. As a unicorn newbie, I really had no idea where to begin. But the company of one of Scotland’s leading tour guides was as good a place to start as any. Anyone who likes to work with a bit of activity around them, if you were the type of teenager that needed music on when you were revising, its likely that you will thrive at Unicorn House! In all seriousness it’s right for anyone who visits the space, likes it and can see themselves working there. Whilst I hope it is an aspirational space I certainly hope its not elitist. There is no right type.

From the early eighteenth century are the doorcase, dining room panelling and staircase. Later changes have been few – additional panelling in the front hall is probably late nineteenth-century, while documented alterations in 1971 were relatively minor in scope. According to the National Museum of Scotland, medieval legend further suggests only a king could hold a unicorn captive because of the supposed danger it posed, something that may have given rise to its widespread adoption. What is known is James II wholeheartedly embraced the legend, and the unicorn became the symbol of purity and power that Scottish kings and nobility identified with in the 15th Century. Over time, this led to the unicorn becoming officially recognised as Scotland’s national animal. Over time, the creature came to represent Jesus Christ, while others believed it could only be tamed by virgins. By the 12th Century, the unicorn had made its first appearance in Scotland, placed on the royal coat of arms by William I (also known as William the Lion). In particular, Donaldson worked with Historic Environment Scotland on the seven-year refurbishment of Stirling Castle, recreating the magnificent Stirling Heads – 16th-Century oak medallions carved with images of kings, queens and nobles – as well as a 1.8m by 1.2m ceiling boss of King James V’s crest and coat of arms for the King’s Bed Chamber. Unicorns, of course, are front and centre.

28 East St Helen Street, Unicorn House

This enigmatic creature has an equally complex and convoluted history that spans some 3,000 years. Considered real by the Ancient Greeks, the horse-like quadrupeds were first mentioned in the 4th Century BC by classical historian Ctesias in Indica, a book on India in which he describes the creature as a ‘wild ass’ with a horn sprouting from its temple. We catch up with Catherine Scudamore, Founder of Unicorn House – the beautiful, relaxed and very welcoming co-working space in the heart of the Cotswolds. Not that any of that matters to Hanley, who saw his first unicorn more than 60 years ago, when growing up in the city’s Canongate district near the Palace of Holyroodhouse.