Murtle House, Aberdeen

Murtle House, built in 1823, is a country house designed by Archibald Simpson in a Greek Revival style for John Thorburn. In 1891, Alexander Marshall Mackenzie made additions to the property. The house is two storeys with a basement and has a stucco finish, forming a roughly H-shaped layout.

The front and rear of Murtle House feature flanking wings that are two bays wide and topped with pediments. The east elevation, which serves as the entrance, includes a pilastrade and a central doorpiece with a pediment. The west elevation is highlighted by a low-domed portico in the Greek Doric style.

Attached to the north end of Murtle House is a single-storey, irregular-plan community hall known as Camphill Hall, built between 1961 and 1962 and designed by Gabor Tallo. This Modernist structure is made of rendered brick and has a sweeping roof. Inside, it contains a large rhomboid auditorium with a stage, a semi-circular chapel to the west, and various ancillary spaces.

At the time of its listing in 1971, the interior of Murtle House had been completely redesigned, with only the Treatment Room remaining from the original layout. The 1962 hall features Expressionist stained glass by Hermann Gross and decorative timberwork.