Documents

There are no additional online documents for this record.

Summary

Description

Andrew Mickel, 1907. 2-storey L-plan Art Nouveau influenced villa with 1st floor timber conservatory/verandah and viewing tower and exceptional interior. Harled with some red sandstone ashlar margins. Stained glass, overhanging eaves, canted bay, hoodmould and band course dividing storeys to principal elevation.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: to left 2-bay section with M-pile roof. Tripartite canted bay to ground right, to left bipartite window. Above pair of bipartite windows. To far left, recessed single bay with round-arched keystoned entrance. Above, timber conservatory/verandah.

N ELEVATION: to left, single storey and basement piend roofed projecting wing. Near-central round arched stained glass stair window. To right, engaged tower with tripartite window to ground and timber viewing platform to 1st floor.

Predominantly original glazing, timber sash and case windows with horns, mostly 3 vertical panes over plate glass or 2-panes. Grey slates. Cast-iron rainwater goods with decorative hopper to S elevation.

INTERIOR: exceptionally good, overwhelmingly intact, strong Art Nouveau/Glasgow influence. Predominantly 6 vertical panel oak doors. Inner entrance door with upper stained glass panel leads to timber panelled hallway with dentil detail. Bay window to S elevation room (former dining room) has continuous mid-height oak timber panelling with display recess with shelves flanked by narrow cupboards with upper stained glass panels. Slightly advanced chimneypiece with mirror. Simple stylised cornice and banded ceiling. Ground floor tower room to N (former parlour), timber panelled dado incorporates bookcase and shelves with doors with glazed upper panels. Simple timber chimneypiece. Timber inbuilt dresser to kitchen with sliding doors, small range, leads to washhouse and lavatory housed in rear wing. Timber panelled dado to staircase with open carved timber panel above. Stained glass stair window with simple shield. 1st floor (former) drawing room with parquet flooring, dentilled picture rail, simple cornice. Cream and green tiled chimneypiece with sailing boats and large timber overmantle with leaded pane display cupboards. Flanked by recessed stained glass panels and engaged timber seats with cut-out heart motif. Door with stained and painted glass upper panel leads to conservatory/verandah and viewing tower. Original chimneypieces to other bedrooms. Dado height timber panelled bathroom with original towel rail, wash-hand basin and spray bath with shower.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: to S, low harled and coped stepped wall with 2 pairs of square corniced gatepiers with very shallow pyramidal caps, that to outer left replacement.

Statement of Special Interest

An interesting house with an exceptional near-intact interior. Designed by Andrew Mickel (1877-1962), who with John Mactaggart later formed the well-known housebuilding company, Mactaggart & Mickel. Mickel was brought up in Glasgow but his uncle, Robert Mickel, came from Linlithgow and owned the large sawmill and steam joinery works, Victoria Sawmills, in Bo'ness. This connection no doubt influenced the large amount of quality joinerwork in 73 Grahamsdyke Road (the stair woodwork is similar to that at Rosemount, Dean Road, see separate listing). Dean of Guild plans dated 8th June 1907 show that the house was commissioned for Frank Ord Mickel Esq, presumably a relative.

The house employs the characteristic Bo'ness feature of a tower overlooking the Forth. The interior is almost untouched from the date of construction and has a very strong Art Nouveau/Glasgow style influence, especially in the 1st floor drawing room with its large chimneypiece with built-in seating. The layout remains unchanged from that on the Dean of Guild plans, even down to the WC and Wash House, although 6-light leaded pane windows were planned for the 1st floor of the S elevation and the veandah was originally open.

73 Grahamsdyke Road currently has some subsidence problems, notably at the entrance (2004).

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.