Documents

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• Type

  Map

  Title

  Map for 1 and 2 Melville Terrace, including boundary walls and excluding 1A Melville Terrace and garage to northwest, Stirling (LB41349)

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600036712)

Summary

Description

A pair of two-storey, two-bay, rectangular-plan semi-detached houses dating from the early 19^th century. They are built in coursed, squared rubble with small pinnings and smooth, advanced and droved sandstone margins and door and window surrounds.

The principal (east) elevation of the paired houses feature arched doorways with timber pilasters and decorative glazed fan lights above double storm doors to the centre bays. There is an ashlar base course and dentilled, bracketed eaves cornice.

An early 19^th century, single storey, gabled former stable is linked to Number 2 by a single storey wall. It is built of large block coursed rubble and features a round window in the gable apex.

The roof has small slates with corniced stone gable end stacks and stone skews. Number 1 has a dormer window to front and rear. The rear elevations are rendered.

The interiors of the semi-detached houses have curved stone stairs with plain squared iron bannisters and mahogany handrails from the ground floor to the second floor. Number 1 has an early 19^th century decorative cornice and ceiling rose to the principal room The interior of number 2 has an early 19^th century lobby screen with diamond pane glazing, early 19^th century plain classical fire surrounds, and several original six-panel timber doors.

There are low coped rubble walls and paired separate gateways with short gatepiers to the front (east) of each house. An early 19^th century tall boundary wall built in finely tooled rubble extends around the south, west, and north boundaries of the gardens.

Legal exclusions

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: 1A Melville Terrace and garage to northwest.

The two-storey, two-bay 1887 addition at Number 1A Melville Terrace replaced one of the early 19^th century paired stables at the northwest of the villas. Number 1A was built around 1887 as a commercial premises by the owner of one half of the semi-detached villas. The design style and proportions of its principal elevation are significantly different to the villas such that they do not add to their interest. Number 1A is not considered to be of interest in listing terms and has been excluded from the listing.

The large part-sunken garage to the northwest of the houses first appears on a map in 1951. It is not considered to be of special architectural or historic interest, and it is proposed that it is excluded from the listing.

Historical development

1 and 2 Melville Terrace first appear on John Wood's map the Town Plan of Stirling (1820) in the ownership of Messrs King. At that time the houses are shown with symmetrical paired stable buildings linked to each side by walls and a large, shared garden to the rear. By the first edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1860, published 1895) the building is shown as two houses with divided gardens. The addition to the north (1A) is first shown on the second edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1892, published 1905) and it shares its garden ground with number 1.

The Valuation Rolls record that David Marshall was the proprietor of Number 1 in 1894 and that he was also a tenant of a building at 87 Port Street, Stirling at the same time. A newspaper advert from December 1886 recorded Marshall was a dentist practicing from Port Street and an advert the next year announced the dental practice had move to 1 Melville Terrace. This suggests the addition (1A) was built as a commercial building attached to his own home around 1887.

Number 1 has been used as an office since the later 20^th century and number 2 is a domestic dwelling.

Statement of Special Interest

1 and 2 Melville Terrace meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

• They are a notable example of a pair early 19^th century symmetrically designed classical houses.
• Their simple classical style is well retained, particularly to the principal elevation and also includes early 19^th century features to the interiors.
• They retain their historic setting as part of a largely unaltered group of early 19^th century buildings of similar classical style and quality.
• They are a good surviving example of buildings that typify the early 19^th century suburban development of Scotland's towns.

Architectural interest

Design

The pair of semi-detached houses are designed in a symmetrical, classical style. Their design quality is particularly evident in the front elevation which has dressed stone margins and arched doorways with columns and decorative timber fanlights over the doors. The modest scale, symmetry and restrained classical detailing is typical of the earlier 19th century. Whinstone rubble was a common building material at the time but the high quality of the rubble masonry pattern in these villas is of particular note.

There have been alterations to the houses including the loss of one of the former stable wings and the addition of an attic dormer and the later 19^th century two storey section. The classical detailing of the houses is however well retained and contributes to the overall historic character of the buildings.

Internally the pair retain a good level of early 19^th century detailing between them including the turned three-storey staircases and some decorative cornices. These interior features are in keeping with the classical style of the interior and is typical of the period for houses of this status.

Setting

The pair of villas are a key part of a historic group of houses of similar date and style and are representative of the development of high-quality suburban villas in Stirling southwards in the early 19^th century.

The area is covered by the Kings Park Conservation Area (CA220) and many contemporary villas on Melville Terrace and opposite on Pitt Terrace are also listed.

The immediate setting has interest because Melville Terrace was built set back and at a higher level than St Ninian's Road, the main road into the centre of Stirling, giving it a sense of status, elevated above the main thoroughfare.

This setting is substantially unaltered since the early 19^th century, and this adds to their special interest.

Historic interest

Historic interest is in such things as a building's age, rarity, social historical interest and associations with people or events that have had a significant impact on Scotland's cultural heritage. Historic interest is assessed under three headings:

Age and rarity

Urban villas dating to the 19^th century are not a rare building type and can be found across Scotland. However, surviving examples which date to the early part of the 19^th century represent the early suburban expansion of Scotland's towns.

Within the local context, 1 and 2 Melville Terrace are an early example of villas built as part of the suburban expansion of Stirling, as shown on John Wood's map of 1820. They are amongst the first in a long street of suburban villas that were built between 1810 and 1835 extending south from the historic old town of Stirling. The majority of the houses on the other side of the street (east) are built in dressed sandstone but 1 and 2 Melville Terrace is of a rubble style construction which reflects their earlier date and adds to the interest of the site.

Although not a rare building type, 1 and 2 Melville Terrace are a good surviving example of a classical style pair of villas that display their simple classical form and retain much of their early 19th century fabric and historic character.

Social historical interest

Social historical interest is the way a building contributes to our understanding of how people lived in the past, and how our social and economic history is shown in a building and/or in its setting.

There is some special interest under this heading because 1 and 2 Melville Terrace are good surviving examples of buildings that typify the early 19^th century suburban development of Scotland's towns.

Association with people or events of national importance

There is no association with a person or event of national importance.

References

Bibliography

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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