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Summary

Description

McRobbie & Milne, builders, 1881; rear wing addition Sutherland & George, 1909. 2-storey and basement, 3-bay villa adjoining 19 Queen's Road (see separate listing). Tooled coursed grey granite with contrasting light grey granite dressings, finely finished to margins. Base course; panelled aprons; dividing band course; long and short rusticated quoins; eaves course; overhanging eaves with dentil moulded cornice.

NW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical; doorway to centre of ground floor, corniced with consoles, panelled timber door with letterbox fanlight; single window to 1st floor above. 3-light canted windows through ground and 1st floors to flanking bays to left and right, with piended roofs and iron finials to apex.

SW ELEVATION: gablet to centre; glazed corridor linking to 19 Queen's Road, 2 windows centred above.

SE ELEVATION: centre obscured by wing added by Sutherland & George, 1909: 2-storey, lean-to timber conservatory to centre of ground floor with corrugated-iron roof, window above, 2 windows and boarded doorway to left return, doorway reached by flight of steps, flanked by 2 windows to ground floor of right return, single window above. Regular fenestration to bay to left at basement, ground and 1st floors; doorway to basement floor of flanking bay to right, flanked by window to right, timber canted oriel window above, window to 1st floor.

NE ELEVATION: gablet to centre.

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case windows. Piended and gabled grey slate roof with lead ridges. Corniced wallhead stacks, cans removed. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: majority of skirting boards, panelled timber doors, architraves, dado rails and cornicing survives; panelled inner door with glazed upper panels; segmental and round arches to hallway supported by simple pilasters; iron balusters to staircase; decorative cornices, wall and ceiling mouldings to principal rooms of ground floor, each with round-arched niches inset; decorative timber fire surround with ionic pilasters room to E.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: shared with 19, 21 and 23 Queen's Road. Low square-plan granite ashlar gatepiers with pyramidal caps to NW, flanked by rough-faced granite walls with ashlar coping; tall pier surmounted by urn to Forest Avenue; granite and brick coped rubble walls to remainder.

Statement of Special Interest

B-Group with 19, 21 and 23 Queen's Road (see separate listings). From the beginning of the 19th century Aberdeen rapidly expanded westwards from Union Street. 17 Queen's Road is part of the later 19th century development W of Queen's Cross. Queen's Road 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 often replaced terraces. Prestigious architects were often employed to produce bold and unusual designs to reflect the wealth and individuality of the clients, who in this case was Miss Jane Winlaw. Albyn School began its life in Union Street (at the W end, originally called Union Place). It was started by Miss Harriet Warrack, and was called the Union Place Seminary for Young Ladies, taking both day and boarding pupils. The school was built up by Alexander Mackie, who joined it in 1883, at which time the school was renamed Union Place Ladies School. 3 years later it moved to Albyn Place (Nos 4 and 6), and was renamed Albyn Place School. 1920 saw the beginning of the move of Albyn School to Queen's Road, when 21 Queen's Road was taken on as the boarding house, at the same time Miss Oliver became the headmistress. 5 years later the school moved from Albyn Place to 23 Queen's Road, at which time it assumed its present name of Albyn School for Girls. When Miss Oliver retired in 1948 she gave the school to the Former Pupils Club (formed in 1906), and the Albyn School Company was formed, which instituted a Board of Governors to administer the school. In 1949 19 Queen's Road was bought, and 10 years later 17 Queen's Road was the last villa to be added to the group. 17 Queen's Road, is one of Albyn School's more modest villas. The interior still survives in good condition. This villa took on its present use as Harriet House nursery in 1995 (2000).

References

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