Building record MAB8875 - ORTON HOUSE

Mansion, built in 1786 for Hon. Arthur Duff, with later additions and alterations.

Mansion, built in 1786 for Hon. Arthur Duff, with later additions and alterations. An earlier house is said to have been in this area. Orton Estate was purchased in the mid-18th Century by William, Duke of Fife, and passed to his youngest son, Hon. Arthur Duff. On his death in 1805, the estate passed to his nephew Richard Wharton, who added Duff to his surname on his marriage to Lady Anne Duff. It was inherited by the present owners through the female line. The north and south wing was added to the house by William Robertson in 1826, and there was substantial remodelling of the main frontage by Thomas Mackenzie between 1847-1848. Large 2- and 3-storey rear additions were completed by J. M. Dick Peddie between 1904-1905 for John and Margaret Wharton Duff.

The mansion is a tall, symmetrical, neo-classical, east-facing, 3-storey house. There are further single-storey, wide, 2-bay wings over a raised basement, projecting from the north and south gables, built in 1826. It is constructed from mixed pinned granite rubble, with contrasting tooled ashlar dressings. The frontage was remodelled between 1847-1848, at which time the projecting pedimented centre bay was built, which has a centre round-headed entrance flanked by similarly shaped side windows, with egg and dart detailing and a single round-headed niche, each with a statue. There is a balustraded porte-cochere at the entrance, which is supported by four Roman Doric columns with an entablature. The pediment is filled with a cartouche dated 1786 and 1848, and there are apex and end urn finials from 1848. There are moulded jambs to all front windows, which are lugged at the ground floor and corniced at the first floor and smaller at the second floor. The windows in the centre block date from 1848, replacing the 1786 ground- and first-floor tripartites. The north and south wings have bowed end gables that are lit by wide corniced tripartites with engaged Doric columns flanking the centre light. A full height canted window projects at the rear. Some varied glazing survives. There are end stacks with flanking scroll brackets and various rear stacks. There is a steeply pitched slated, piended roof to the main block and slated, piended roofs elsewhere.

Inside, the south drawing room has a panelled and reeded dado, a panelled door, and window shutters. There is a corniced and carved overdoor that is decorated with crossed fronds, a carved chimneypiece, and a coved ceiling with a reeded ornamentation to the cornice. There is also a cantilevered carved staircase. Elsewhere, the interior was gutted in 1987, from which time the house has been empty.

An Italianate laundry is located circa 60 metres to the west of the house (NJ 31327 53958), built by A. and W. Reid in 1855, and a mid-18th Century vaulted icehouse circa 130 metres to the northwest (NJ 31291 54037).

LESLIE, W, 1813, REV.AGRIC.COUNT.NAIRN & MORAY, 54-5 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1072.

WATSON, J, 1868, MORAYSHIRE DESCRIBED, 113-4 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2003.

MCKEAN, C, 1987, MORAY: AN ILLUSTRATED ARCHITECTURAL GUIDE, p.152 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1142.

BARTLAM, W. A., 2007, SOME ICE HOUSES IN MORAY, P.15-16 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3716.

Author unknown, n.d., ABERDEEN DAILY JOURNAL, 20/10/1826 (Bibliographic reference). SAB23.

SDD, n.d., BLDS OF ARCH & HIST INTEREST, ROTHES 2 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1827.

Author unknown, n.d., ELGIN COURANT, 08/01/1915 (Bibliographic reference). SAB444.

Author unknown, n.d., NSA, XIII(1842) 321 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1269.

Record last edited

Oct 3 2026 7:24PM