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Summary

Description

Late 19th century. 2-storey, basement and attic, 4-bay double villa. Tooled coursed grey granite, finely finished to margins of SE elevation; granite rubble to remainder. Base course; panelled aprons; dividing band course; eaves course; contrasting light grey long and short dressings to quoins and single windows.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical; basket-arched doorways to centre 2 bays of ground floor, corniced with consoles, flight of stone steps flanked by railings to panelled timber doors flanked by etched panels, letterbox fanlights; single window to each bay of 1st floor above, aprons flanked by stylised scrolls; decorative bipartite dormers to attic floor, dentil cornice and elegantly piended fishscale slate roofs with iron finials to apexes. Gabled bays to outer left and right, 3-light canted windows through basement, ground and 1st floors, with balustraded parapet forming balcony to attic floor, basket-arched windows to ground floor, bipartite segmental-arched windows to attic floor, narrow window openings set in gableheads above, oversized stone finial to apex.

NE ELEVATION: gabled; window to centre of ground, 1st and attic floors; later windows flanking to left at 1st and attic floors.

NW ELEVATION: 2 windows to centre bays of basement floor, flanked by doorways, regular fenestration to ground and 1st floors above; bipartite windows to basement, ground and 1st floors of bays to outer left and right; modern rectangular dormer through attic of No 56 Queen's Road, 2 canted dormers to attic floor of No 58 Queen's Road, skylights behind.

SW ELEVATION: gabled; window to centre of each floor.

Predominantly 2-pane and 4-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roof with lead ridge. Coped stone skews with moulded skewputts. Coped gablehead and ridge stacks with octagonal cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: some interior details survive. Fine etched glass inner doors, with stained glass fanlights above, round-arched niches flanking; timber staircases with turned balusters and decorative newel posts through all floors, decorative light-wells above. Some mouldings survive, notably a delicately moulding neo-classical ceilings and frieze to the 1st floor. Fireplaces predominantly removed.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: square-plan corniced granite ashlar gatepiers to SE; coped low granite wall, rough-faced, between; granite and brick coped rubble walls to remainder.

Statement of Special Interest

From the beginning of the 19th century Aberdeen rapidly expanded westwards from Union Street. 56 and 58 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. Features of particular note at 56 and 57 Queen's Road include the survival of both internal staircases and fine etched glass flanking the doorways and inner doors. Also of interest are the elegant dormers to the principal elevation, and well detailed gabled bays.

References

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