"Arthur Lodge is the most distinguished building of the area. The architect is possibly Thomas Hamilton, designer of the old Royal High School on Calton Hill, but it was erected by Robert Mason, an Edinburgh builder, between 1827 and 1830. The exterior displays a classical Greek style with impressively cut Craigleith sandstone.
Internally no two rooms have the same floor and ceiling levels; the architect believed the height of a room should vary according to the other two dimensions.
In August 1830 Robert Mason declared himself bankrupt and the house was bought by David Cunningham, one of Edinburgh's leading silversmiths and the city treasurer. In 1841 it was sold to Major James Arthur, who gave the house the name which it has today.
Previously it was known as Salisbury Cottage. In 1896 Andrew Usher, the Edinburgh brewer and donor of the Usher Hall, lived in the house. Andrew Usher's daughter subsequently lived there with her husband William Burn-Murdoch, artist, Antarctic explorer and co-founder of the Scottish National Party.
In 1985 the house was bought by John Pinkerton QC and Jack Howells, who renovated and transformed both the garden and the interior of Arthur Lodge with judicious use of objets d'art, painted murals and plaster-cast statues, all of which blend to create a stunning effect.
It is of no wonder it was once described as one of the most interesting buildings in Scotland. Since 2002 Arthur Lodge has been owned by Alan and Elizabeth Ballantyne-Brown."
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