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Summary

Description

A Wright, granite merchant, 1894. Single storey and attic, 4-bay villa. Rough-faced coursed grey and pink granite with finely finished dressings to N Elevation; tooled pink coursed granite rubble finely finished to margins of remainder. Battered base course, and finely finished pink dividing band courses to N elevation; overhanging eaves, supported to N by finely finished grey granite brackets.

N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: asymmetrical; recessed panelled timber door flanked to left and right by glazed panels, overhang supported by highly polished granite column, cast-iron bell-pull to right of column; tripartite window to slightly recessed bay to outer right; gableted 3-light canted window through ground and attic floors to penultimate bay to left, decorative floreate finial to apex; tripartite window to bay to outer left. Polished grey and pink granite kerbstones in front of base course with sphere capped dividing blocks.

W ELEVATION: near-symmetrical; single bay; roof swept down over bipartite window to centre of ground floor, segmental-arched tripartite dormer to attic above; timber panelled gablehead above.

S ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 7-bay; regular fenestration to 3 central bays; 2 flanking bays to left obscured by modern lean-to conservatory; 2 flanking bays to right slightly recessed, bipartite window flanked to right by boarded timber door reached by stone steps.

E ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 2-bay; bay to left advanced, segmental-arched tripartite dormer to attic, panelled gablehead above with cast-iron finial bearing initials "AW", window to right return; recessed bay to right blank.

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roof with decorative cast-iron cresting. Coped granite stacks at gableheads and breaking pitch, with circular cans.

INTERIOR: not seen 1999.

ANCILLARY STRUCTURES AND BOUNDARY WALLS: granite rubble boundary walls with rubble coping; lean-to ancillary structure built into wall to SE with 2 boarded timber doors and walls swept up to accommodate height. Gateway to centre of S wall. Single storey, rectangular-plan ancillary structure to SW of house, harl-pointed granite rubble; lean-to at centre of E elevation with boarded timber doors, window flanking to left; 2 gabled bays to outer left and right, garage to right, boarded timber door flanked to left by window at left; grey slate roof with decorative ironwork final.

Statement of Special Interest

Birsemore is a small settlement on the slope of Birsemore Hill on the S bank of the River Dee. The Alt Dinnie Burn runs to the W of the settlement, over what Dinnie describes as "good granite..... of similar colour to that of Peterhead" (p44). The remains of at least one quarry on the hill suggest that perhaps this was one reason for the development of this southern suburb of Aboyne. Birse Brae is without doubt the most unusually detailed villa in Birsemore, owing almost certainly to Mr Wright, the local granite merchant who built the house. A variety of masonry technique are used from high polished to rough-faced granite. The boldly oversized details combined with battered base give the villa a rogue gothic appearance.

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