Description

J B Pirie and A Clyne, 1884-1885. Single storey and attic principal elevation, 2 full storeys to rear, 41-bay terraced comprising predominantly 4-bay pairs of mirrored cottages except Nos 55 and 57. Rough-faced grey and pink granite with finely finished margins. Dark grey granite base course; ground floor cill course; dressed lintel band course; pink granite deep eaves course, corniced with regularly spaced grey granite navel-like paterae. Pilastered panelled timber doors with glazed panels flanking and letterbox fanlights, some with original stained glass; squat bull-faced pilasters flanking tops of doorways to all but Nos 59-61, 63-65, 67-69, 71-73 and 75-77 where the central column is replaced by pairs of stylised anthemion motifs; canted dormers with timber twin dentil cornice, rectangular dormers above doorways with navel paterae to lintels, iron daffodil finials to dormers.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: near symmetrical. No 55: 2-bay asymmetrical; cottage with doorway to S Elevation (see below); canted window through ground floor forming dormer to attic floor in bay to left; bipartite window with knuckle detail on central astragal to flanking bay to right, bipartite rectangular dormer to attic floor above; curved wall to outer left converted to angle at lintel level. No 57: 3-bay cottage; doorway to centre of ground floor, with rectangular-dormer above; canted windows through ground floor forming dormers to attic floor in flanking bays to left and right. Nos 59-93: 9 4-bay pairs of mirrored 2-bay cottages; recessed doorways to 2 centre bays of ground floor with rectangular dormers above; canted windows through ground floor forming dormer to attic floor to flanking bays to outer left and right; elaborate mansard-roofed rectangular dormer adjoining rear of canted dormer to Nos 75-77.

N ELEVATION: gabled; symmetrical; pair of windows to centre of ground and 1st floors.

W ELEVATION: gabled wings advanced to centre; additions and alterations; skylights to attic.

SE ELEVATION: gabled; single storey porch adjoining No 53 to ground floor, doorway to No 55 to right return.

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case windows, some replacement windows. Grey slate roofs with lead ridges. Stone skews. Coped stone gablehead and ridge stacks with predominantly octagonal cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIORS: not seen 1999.

BOUNDARY WALLS: low coped granite wall to E; copped rubble walls to rear.

Statement of Interest

B-Group with 1-13 Argyll Crescent and 31 and 37-49 (odd numbers) Argyll Place (see separate listings). Argyll Place was built for the enterprising Aberdeen builder and contractor John Morgan, who was also a close friend of J B Pirie. Like the slightly later Argyll Crescent, Argyll Place is a simply ornamented, well-proportioned terrace. The facade is varied by the different colours of granite, from dark grey to pink, and the contrast between rough-faced and dressed finishes. In addition to the polychrome granite, many of the doorways are slightly different, either deeply recessed or relatively shallow, with squat columns or paired anthemions. The slightly oversized canted windows from ground to attic floors occur in varying forms in most of their domestic designs. The navel-like paterae appear in the majority of the designs of the partnership where Pirie is involved. The paterae are probably a development of the sunflower (a favourite motif of the Aesthetic Movement) or daffodil, which is used for the iron finials of the dormers of Argyll Place. The doorways flanked by squat pilasters are also typical of Pirie and Clyne's domestic designs, similarly squat columns are used by Alexander Thomson at the side entrance to St. Vincent Street Church, Glasgow, of 1857-8 (see separate listing).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17778698

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
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  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
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  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)