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Summary

Description

Matthews & Mackenzie, 1877. 2-storey, basement and attic, 13-bay, L-plan terrace of French influence. Tooled coursed granite with finely finished dressings; granite rubble to NW and SW elevations. Rough-faced base course; architraved openings; ground and 1st floor cill courses; eaves course; pierced parapet; gableted rectangular dormers to attic floor.

NE (FOREST ROAD) ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 13-bay; 12 bays to right comprise 6 2-bay flats arranged in mirrored pairs; regularly placed bipartite windows to basement floor; pair of doorways to centre bays at ground floor of each pair, double width flight of steps leading to doors, distinctive iron railings flanking, 2-leaf panelled timber outer doors with letterbox fanlights, panelled and glazed inner doors, bipartite windows flanking to outer left and right; regular fenestration to 1st floor; regularly placed dormers to attic floor. Bay to outer left is 6 Queen's Gate: floor level stepped-up, bipartite window to each floor, breaking parapet and eaves at attic with steeply pitched piended roof; 2 rectangular dormers and small modern skylight to attic floor; circular-plan angle turret to outer left angle, corbelled out above base course, bipartite window to principal and 1st floor, breaking eaves, blind parapet with recessed panels matching pierced parapet to flanking bays, conical roof with fishscale slates, iron weathervane to apex. Rectangular-plan oriel to outer right angle, corbelled out at basement, single window centre of ground and 1st floors, pierced parapet above.

NW ELEVATION: gabled; windows off-centre to right of ground and 1st floors.

SW ELEVATION: rubble bays to left, irregular door and window openings, stair leading to 1st floor doorway to 4th bay from left, rectangular-plan brick addition to flanking bay to right. 2 ashlar bays advanced to outer right, irregular openings to basement floor, window to right of 1st floor, 2 windows breaking eaves with elongated piended roofs, single dormer centred between, flanked to left by modern skylight.

SE ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 3-bay; floor level stepped-up; 2 bays to left advanced, that to right stepped forward, stained glass squat window to basement floor, tall tripartite window above, bipartite window breaking eaves with piended roof, doorway to right return, pilastered doorpiece forming shallow balcony with pierced stone parapet to 1st floor, single window to 1st floor, window breaking eaves with piended roof above; bipartite windows to basement and principal floors of flanking bay to left, single window breaking eaves with piended roof above, piend-roofed rectangular dormer to attic floor; bay to right recessed, bipartite window to basement, single window to principal floor, window above breaking eaves with piended roof; angle turret to outer right angle (see above).

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case windows; modern PVCu casement windows to 4 Forest Road. Grey slate mansard roof with lead ridges. Stone skews. Coped ridge stacks with octagonal cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIORS: not seen 2000.

RAILINGS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: low rough-faced granite boundary walls to NE and SE; iron railings flanking steps to doorways to NE. Brick and granite coped rubble walls to NW and SW.

Statement of Special Interest

From the beginning of the 19th century Aberdeen rapidly expanded westwards from Union Street. 6 Queen's Gate and 2-12 Forest Road are part of the later 19th century development W of Queen's Cross. Forest Road is built on the site of Stocket Forest, hence the appropriate name which was chosen by Sir Alexander Anderson, Lord Provost at the time. Queen's Road, on which the Queen's Gate lies, is on the site of Skene Road, which was originally surrounded by the estate of Rubislaw. In 1877 Rubislaw Estate was bought by the City of Aberdeen Land Association, who re-aligned the road and sold off the estate in smaller plots. Streets became wider and villas with substantial gardens began to replace terraces. 6 Queen's Gate and 2-12 Forest Road is one of the few terrace developments built during this phase, and bears some resemblance to Matthews and Mackenzie's block at the end of 4-14 Union Grove and 28-38 Holburn Street of 10 years later (see separate listing). Distinctive features include the pierced parapet (seen also at Union Grove and Holburn Street), fine ironwork railings, and angle turret.

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