Description

Gillespie & Scott, 1895-6. 3-storey, 6-bay, asymmetrical Scots Baronial purpose built hall of residence. Sympathetic additions and alteration Mills & Shepherd, 1910-11 comprising U-plan adjoining wing to left and single storey 2-bay wing to right. Transomed & mullioned windows. Crowstepped gables, conical roofed turrets and pedimented gabled dormerheads. Squared and snecked sandstone rubble with ashlar margins. Base and eaves courses; string cource to original L-plan Gillespie & Scott central section. 1962 Lumsden Wing H-plan extension joining to SE.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: (principal) SE elevation: 1895-6 building with right of centre slightly advanced 3-storey and attic crowstepped gabled bay with timber door and integral 12-pane glazed fanlight; tripartite windows to 1st and 2nd floor. To right single bay with semi-circular dormer-headed breaking eaves and bartizanned turret to NE corner outer bay. To far right 1910-11 Mills & Shepherd 2-bay single storey addition with projecting pyramidally-roofed outer bay with 5-light window with pedimented sundial above breaking eaves. To left of entrance 3-bay section with 4-light bay window.

To far left Mills & Shepherd 1910-11 U-plan extension. Near-symmetrical with central timber 2-leaf door set within curved gabled porch, windows in flanking bays with pedimented dormers breaking eaves. Projecting crowstepped gabled bays forming U-plan with full-hight circular tower to SW corner. To rear, N elevation former service wing projection leading to whitewashed harl single storey piended and crowstepped gabled section.

Predominantly 6-and 12-pane over plate glass timber sash and case windows with horns to Gillespie & Scott building. Predominantly 6- and 4-pane over plate glass to Mills & Shepherd additions. Graded grey slates. Variety of ridge and gable stacks with cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: (partly seen 2007). Good decorative scheme in place to principal rooms with good quality joinery work throughout. Mills & Shepherd timber panelled dining hall with stone chimneypiece with University crest and moulded stone horns, exposed kingpost type roof with decorative Gothic braces. Simple decoration to reading and common rooms including integrated timber bookcases with fluted surrounds. Many surviving chimneypieces, some corner set, predominantly timber with tiled inserts; one with carved thistle motif and 'PRO PATRIA 1896'. Simple moulded cornices.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATEPIERS: squared and snecked semicircular coped section of wall of varying heights to S and W incorporating boarded timber door to W. St Leonard's Road entrance with square plan gatepiers with alternate ashlar and bull-faced cources, pyramidal caps and decorative cast-iron gate. Gatepiers to Kennedy Gardens: similarly treated, with pedestrian gated entrance to right.

Statement of Interest

University Hall (Old Wing) is a fine late example of Scots Baronial architecture. Although largely constructed in two phases, the later additions are sympathetic and follow the Scots Baronial style. The initial 6-bay building was designed by prominent St Andrews architects Gillespie & Scott in 1895-7 as a residence for women students at the University of St Andrews. It was extended by the Dundee based architecs Mills & Shepherd in 1910-11. They added a large U-plan wing to the left of the original building and a single storey 2-bay section to the right. The building now forms part of the wider University Hall site which includes the nearby villa of Westerlee (now known as Wardlaw) by John Milne (1865, see separate listing).

University Hall (Old Wing) is a large and well designed building sited discreetly in Donaldson Gardens. There is much attention to detail and the interior is of good quality with many surviving chimneypieces. The fine original glazing pattern remains and adds character to this impressive building.

Today (2007) University Hall is comprised of Old Wing, Wardlaw Wing (Westerlee) and Lumsden (New Wing). Lumsden is a 1962 H-plan building situated in low lying ground between Wardlaw and Old Wing and linked to the latter by a partially glazed corridor.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17804138

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.

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