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Summary

Description

Archibald Simpson, 1838. Single storey and basement, 5-bay villa, with 2-bay block adjoining to S. Coursed Aberdeen bond granite rubble, finely finished to margins. Rough-faced ashlar base course; panelled aprons; long and short quoins; overhanging eaves.

N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical; tetrastyle pedimented Doric portico to centre bay, on ashlar plinth, flagpole to apex, panelled and glazed timber door reached by stone steps, flanked by glazed panels to left and right, broad letterbox fanlight; regular fenestration to flanking bays to left and right; bays to outer left and right advanced with window to centre of each.

W ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 2 bays recessed to left, comprising doorway to right and window to left; flanking bay to right advanced, 2 windows to left return.

S ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 7-bay; 2-storey, 6-bay block to left, 3 bowed bays with 2-leaf glazed door to centre of ground floor flanked by windows, 3 windows to 1st floor above, shutters to central window; regular fenestration to flanking bays to left and right, shutters to 1st floors; modern addition to ground floor of bay to outer left, window to 1st floor with shutter; single storey bay to outer right, window off-centre to left.

E ELEVATION: asymmetrical; doorway and windows to basement floor, 3 windows to 1st floor.

Predominantly 4-pane timber sash and case windows. Piended purple grey slate roof to single storey block with tiled ridges; grey slate roof with lead ridges to 2-storey block. Coped ridge and wallhead stacks with square and circular cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: particularly fine interior. Much of cornicing, skirting boards and some panelled timber doors survive. T-plan pilastered and panelled entrance hall with deep foliate frieze, panelled ceiling with central rectangular skylight decoratively moulded. Drawing room with bowed window, panelled walls, neo-classical fireplace, door architraves and ceiling plasterwork. Decoratively moulded friezes and ceilings to remainder of principal rooms.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: square-plan granite piers to N with pyramidal caps; brick coped boundary walls to S, E and W, 2 gatepiers to S; boundary walls and gatepiers shared with 28 Albyn Lane, former coach house to S (see separate listing).

Statement of Special Interest

B-Group with 28 Albyn Lane, former Coach House (see separate listing). Albyn Place was originally built on the lands of Rubislaw, owned by James Skene. Skene lived in Albyn Place in Edinburgh (hence the same name in Aberdeen), and commissioned Archibald Elliot to prepare a scheme for Aberdeen based on the New Town in Edinburgh. Albyn Place was the only part of Elliot's scheme to be executed, the remainder being remodelled by Archibald Simpson just over a decade later, and again in the 1840s. 28 Albyn Place is one of the buildings on Albyn Place known to be by Simpson, although it seems likely that he was involved in many of those built around 1830. 28 Albyn Place is owned by the Conservative Club. It is notable not only for its long low profile, but for the bowed bay to the rear and particularly fine interior plasterwork.

References

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