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Summary

Description

Circa 1752; later additions and alterations. 2-storey and attic, 5-bay former Fountainhall House, adjoining 19th century terrace to N (not included in listing). Tooled coursed granite rubble to ground floor, harled to 1st floor, finely finished dressings. Dividing string course; chamfered reveals.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: near-symmetrical; granite ashlar porch, added circa 1830, with bowed end to centre of ground floor, 4 windows, boarded timber door to left return, rounded slate roof with lead ridge; single window flanking porch to left, 2 windows flanking porch to right; window to each of 5 bays at 1st floor; 2 2-pane skylights to attic floor.

E ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 3-bay; modern porch additions to ground floor; window to centre of 1st floor; wallhead extended up to centre at attic floor, 2 bipartite windows inset. Tall harled wall extended to outer right.

N ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining terrace.

W ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 2-bay; bay to right blank; canted timber window to ground floor of bay to left, window to 1st floor; wallhead extended up to attic floor, bipartite window inset.

Predominantly 2-pane and 4-pane timber sash and case windows; 2-pane timber window to 1st floor of S elevation with top hoppers. Harled, coped wallhead stacks with circular cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: not seen 2000.

GATES, GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: square-plan gatepiers to SW, with lead plaques reading "130" and "Fountainhall House", pyramidal caps surmounted by iron urns; pink granite coped grey granite wall adjoining to left. Decorative iron gate adjoining house to SE, flanked by 3 square-plan granite gatepiers with decorative pyramidal caps surmounted by iron urn, dragon and bird; gate leads to garden to E enclosed by rubble walls, tall rubble wall to E with gableted garden seat inset.

Statement of Special Interest

130 Blenheim Place was formerly called Fountainhall House. Now engulfed by 19th century villas, it is one of the earliest surviving buildings in the area. The name Fountainhall dates from the 18th century, then Fountain Haugh, when the reservoirs supplying water to the city were in this area (Brogden, p133). The cistern house from Fountainhall of 1706 is now at the Duthie Park (see separate listing). The water for the reservoir was collected from springs at Carden's Haugh, and created the first clean and healthy water supply to the city. According to Meldrum (p69) the house was probably built by Alexander Dyce a merchant. The porch was added around 1830, but the gatepiers are late 18th century, the urns were originally at the entrance to Old Fountainhall Road. It became known as 130 Blenheim Place in 1895. 130 Blenheim Place is shown on the 2nd edition OS map as the Whitehall Industrial School (for Girls).

References

Bibliography

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