Menzies' House, Blairs College

Menzies' House at Blairs College is a partially surviving mansion from the later 18th century that was altered and extended by architect John Gall from Aberdeen under the supervision of John Menzies and Rev Gordon in 1827 when it was converted for use by the seminary. The building has since been partially demolished. The southern extension, completed in 1827, includes Menzies' apartments and an old chapel, and it is linked to a later block built in 1854 to the north.

The original mansion is three stories with an attic, although it was originally three stories high. Only five bays of the original long symmetrical range remain, featuring a full-height circular tower that projects at the center of the north elevation. This tower has been partially demolished and now forms the eastern end of the surviving building, while the mirrored eastern portion of the house to the left of the tower has been demolished. The structure is built of squared granite rubble with black pinnings and has 12-pane sash and case windows that are regularly placed. The roof is slated and includes three dormer windows on the north slope, which date from the 1827 alterations, also featuring 12-pane sash and case glazing. There are broad coped ashlar stacks. At the rear, there is a tall four-storey gabled wing that projects at the center, which was once mirrored by a similar wing to the east that has been demolished. A modern stair is present, possibly on the site of the original stair.

The interior has been substantially altered but retains vaulted chambers that may have been wine cellars at ground level.

The northern block, built in 1854, is three stories and four bays wide, with a wall height slightly lower than the earlier Menzies House block to the south. It features a tall five-stage circular tower with a conical slated roof that projects to the left of the east elevation, located near the re-entrant angle where this block meets Menzies House. This tower is visible in a 19th-century sketch view. The block has a slated roof and end stacks, with 12-pane sash and case glazing.