A very attractive arts and crafts style garden and house, designed by architect Frank Deas in the early 20th century. This unusual landscape contains some outstanding architectural features.

Artistic Interest

Level of interest

Outstanding

The Murrel is of great interest as a Work of Art and is an important example of the work of Frank Deas.

Historical

Level of interest

High

It is an unusual and interesting representative of the 1900s period and has associations with Deas and Lorimer.

Horticultural

Level of interest

Some

The range of plants, particularly the recent planting, gives this site some Horticultural value.

Architectural

Level of interest

Outstanding

The designed landscape provides the setting for the buildings designed by Frank Deas which is of outstanding Architectural interest.

Archaeological

Level of interest

Not Assessed

Scenic

Level of interest

Little

The garden is sheltered in the deeply incised valley of the Dour Burn and is not easily visible from surrounding roads.

Nature Conservation

Level of interest

None

There is no special Nature Conservation significance.

The Murrel is located 1 mile (1.5km) north of Aberdour just south of Cullaloe Reservoir. It was built in 1908-10 on former farmland above the confluence of the Dour Burn with its eastern tributary, the Humbie Burn. The land slopes steeply to the south and south-west from the site of the house to the burn glens, and provides good views to the south. The terraces were designed to face southwards and yet make the most of the views to the south-west. The Murrel is fairly secluded from view within its valley and rural surroundings.

The house is built on the brow of a steep terraced slope. The designed landscape is enclosed to the north by the minor access road from the A987, to the east by the garden wall and shelter planting, to the south by the burn and bordering shrubbery, and to the west by the wild garden and west shelterbelt. The designed landscape encloses about 17 acres (7ha) and is subdivided into several compartments.

There are two historic feudal superiors, the Earls of Moray and the Earl of Morton (see Aberdour Castle). The 1st edition OS map of 1855 shows the cottages at the east end of the access road and a small rectangular enclosure immediately to the east of the present Murrel garden. A disused iron mill is mapped along the Dour Burn to the south-west of the house. The present house was built in 1908 and designed by Frank Deas, the architect, for his own use. The design followed local farmhouse traditions as it was to be run as a small farm. Frank Deas was born in 1862, trained at Edinburgh University and articled to Sir Rowand Anderson between 1890-6. He later shared a practice with Victor Horsburgh, and was a great friend of Sir Robert Lorimer. He died in 1951 but was forced to sell The Murrel in 1915 when he suffered large financial losses on the stock exchange during World War I. The present owners are carrying out a great deal of work in the gardens.

Architectural Features

The house was designed in the traditional, local farmhouse style by Frank Deas c.1908 and is listed B. It is two-storeyed with a large semi-circular wing at the east end surrounding an inner courtyard which was set apart from the main house as a private provenance and garden for the servants based in the north-east wing. The house is built of sandstone from four different quarries to give variation in colour to the facade and the red pantiles on the roof were used for contrast. The courtyard is separated from the great terrace by a long buttressed wall, and from the end of the broad terrace, below the doocot tower, is the walled garden.

Water Features

The burn flows westwards past the Rose Garden and is carried over a waterfall through the Water Garden. The tiny gorge is lined with fern and other water-loving plants and this garden is in the process of being replanted. A path crosses the stream and continues through the coniferous shelter planting to the orchard at the south end of the terraced garden.

The Gardens

The Terraced Garden lies immediately in front and to the south of the house and consists of two broad terraces with an orchard at the south triangular end bounded by the burn. The east side is contained by the dramatic stepped wall of the walled garden, with its Lorimer-style gateway onto the top terrace. To the west of the broad terrace and of the house is a rockery with mixed alpines and some ornamental dwarf conifers. This area is due to be replanted. The terraces themselves are of lawn with gravel paths, and herbaceous borders with climbing roses scaling the high terrace walls.

The inner courtyard and servants' garden is sheltered lawn surrounded by herbaceous borders and attractively planted up.

The Rose Garden lies beneath the huge, buttressed south wall of the walled garden. It is terraced, the north part consisting of a gravel path running from west to east along the wall of the walled garden and lined with climbing shrubs and iris on its north side, and with lavender and new Rhododendron planting on its south side. (The terraced wall had collapsed just before our visit due to the excessive amount of rainfall and flooding in the area in the summer of 1985 and has since been repaired). The lower part of this garden is compartmentalised by yew hedging which surrounds rectangular rose beds and a central pond, the latter at present empty. A sundial forms the central feature of the pond. South of the rose garden hedges is another east/ west path alongside the burn which is canalised at this point and has Rhododendrons planted along its south side.

A new Wild Garden is being planted up with Rhododendrons, daffodils and snowdrops along the glen to the Dour Burn. To the north of the house, the entrance court above the roadway has a walled lawn with small herbaceous borders, and features a single Eucalyptus.

Walled Gardens

The walled garden is still in use for fruit and vegetables; fruit trees line the walls: pears on the west wall, redcurrants on the north wall, cherries on the east wall and plums on the south wall. There is a glasshouse along the north wall near the garden arbour, similar to one designed by Deas for Lord Moray at Donibristle. The design of the attractive seat was possibly influenced by Lorimer. Box hedges divide the north area of the garden into compartments and new sections of shrubbery and Ericas are being planted alongside the fruit and vegetables.

Sources

Printed Sources

Laurence Weaver, 1927. 'Small Country Homes of Today'

Weaver & Jekyll , 1912, 'Gardens for Small Country Homes'