Description

James MacLaren, dated 1884; additions Robert Gibson circa 1920. 3-storey, basement and attic, irregular-plan building of 4 elevations on island site, built on falling ground. Cream sandstone ashlar, channelled to ground floor at original building, some polished Peterhead granite dressings, piended grey slate roof, octagonal roof to Bell Street/Meadowside angle with fishscale bands, segmental pediments and elaborately finialled lantern. Band course to ground floor, continuous cill course to 1st and 2nd floors with corbel detail to windows at 1st floor, corbelled parapet with dies, balustraded with aediculaed dormer to canted angle bay at Bell Street/Meadowside; pilastered angles to original building, rusticated to ground floor, segmentally-pedimented to 1st floor, paired to 2nd floor; bays to addition delineated by plain pilaster strips. Windows at original building; tripartite keystones and decorative iron grilles to basement, single and bipartite elsewhere, round-headed stilted architraves to

ground floor with sculpted timpani of differing designs, shouldered and corniced architraves to 1st floor some with pediments, recessed architraves to 2nd floor with pilastered mullions. Windows at addition; single, bi- and tripartite, corniced to ground floor, corniced and architraved to 1st, stop-chamfered to 2nd, large piended rooflight. Later box dormers; 2-pane timber sash and case frames throughout. Corniced ridge stacks to original building with distinctive squat, square-section terracotta cans.

BELL STREET ELEVATION: 4 bays recessed to left; keystoned and moulded round-headed Peterhead granite doorcase to right re-entrant, piered and pilastered porch with mannered shaped pediment, window to left, bipartite to 1st and 2nd floor, bipartite V-bay window to far left rising from basement to 3rd floor. Bays to right with windows arranged 1-2-2-1 rising from basement to 3rd floor, tripartite canted window

to all floors at angle to right.

MEADOWSIDE ELEVATION: 9 original bays to left; consoled and corniced doorpiece to right with round-headed window above, window to 1st and 2nd floor, 6 bays to left comprising 2 tripartite windows to ground, 1st and 2nd floor, bay to far left with window to each floor, blank bay to outer left with date and building name panels. 5 later bays to right; 4 bays to left have tripartite window to each bay at ground, 1st and 2nd floor, single window to all floors at bay at right.

VICTORIA ROAD ELEVATION: 3 principal bays with tripartite windows to all floors, bay to left with single window to all floors, splayed bay to far left with bipartite to all floors.

MEADOW PLACE ELEVATION: 4 original bays to right; door to left with fanlight and banded pilasters, door at 2nd bay from right with tripartite doorpiece, round-headed window above and at flanking bays,

4 windows to 1st and 2nd floor. 4 later bays to left; door to right with bipartite at 1st and 2nd floors above, 2 bays to left with tripartite at all floors, bay to far left with bipartite at all floors.

INTERIOR: not seen.

Statement of Interest

This building was constructed for Cox Brothers as their head office (linked by telephone to Camperdown Works, Lochee), and later extended for Jute Industries. It was converted to flats in the early 1980s.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17808154

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

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