Perim Island

MURRAY HOUSE

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Murray House was built as the residence of the Managing Agent of the Perim Coal Company a few years after the company commenced operations on ‘Company Side’ in 1883. Although it was well within the concession, the Coal Company still had to ask the Resident in Aden for permission to build a new house.

 

This request for planning permission was submitted in April 1891 and was to build a private residence for the managing agent “somewhere on a suitable rise of ground between Murray Point beacons and the Eastern Telegraph Company’s cable tanks”.

 

It remained as the Managing Agent’s residence until sometime around 1906 when it became the Residency, the residence and office of the Assistant Resident on Perim. Until then his quarters had been at the southeast end of the fort. It remained the Residency until the Coal Company closed in September 1936 and the Assistant was withdrawn.

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The final use of this building during the British colonial period was as a barracks for the platoon of Armed Police that replaced the platoon of Indian Army infantry that had had its barracks in the ‘fort’ in the lighthouse complex. Being centrally located Murray House was in the ideal location for the police.

 

The first photograph, from around 1929, shows it when it was the Residency with, presumably the Assistant Resident at the door to the verandah.