Evergreen Bungalow, Koottickal, Kerala.

The Evergreen Bungalow was built in 1955, during a time when the architecture of the valley was being influenced by the British colonial style. The Bungalow also reflects a quaint blend of local style with a mild overlay of colonial architecture. Thick lime and sand masoned walls, and the verandahs on the east and a cute sit out on the south are well spread outward continuation from the indoors to the outdoors.
Tall interior with many tilt windows running across the eastern side of the house let in lots of daylight and fresh air. The medium pitched sheet roofs are timber gabled. Placed atop a gentle hill amidst an evergreen rubber and spice plantations. Not far from the little village township at Kootickal, Kerala the house is remarkable for its calm and quite surroundings. The steep hill to the northeast form a close backdrop of plantation, to the bungalow. The high ranges of Western Ghats rising steeply from the base of the township can be viewed across from the verandah on the south.
The guests can relax in the patio on the west or the cozy corners of the lawns as the host takes care of them as a part of their family. The furniture is mostly of local origin and may appear as abstracts of Queen Anne to Mid Victorian styles. The horse – shoe shaped dining table designed by the late owner K.V. Abrahim of the bungalow and done by Mr. Velayudhan locally known as ‘Kiliasari' (Carpenter) is one of its kind.

This contoured land is verdant with plantation of rubber,pepper,vanilla and clove. Koottical which extends north east inwards from Mundakayam valley was the land chosen by planters from the west as the best in the year 1900 itself. Mr. John Joseph Murphy, a great lover of the land, had his flourishing estate established in 1904. He deserves a special place in the history of plantation in Travancore. His house is still retained and maintained by Mr. Michael Kallivayalil, who manages the school named Murphy Memorial. The Murphy rubber estate here is probably one of the oldest in India .