Description

Later 19th century. Single storey and attic, 5-bay villa with late 19th/early 20th century 2-storey Italianate tower. Squared and snecked granite finely finished to margins. Long and short quoins; overhanging eaves with timber bargeboards.

W (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: asymmetrical; early 20th century decorative timber porch forming attic floor balcony to 3 bays to right, window to bay to left, canted 4-light window to centre, through balcony to attic floor, canted 4-light window to right at ground floor; glazed opening to left of attic floor. Square-plan part-engaged tower advanced to penultimate bay to left, bipartite window to centre of ground floor, panelled timber door with semi-circular fanlight to ground floor of right return, flanked to left by pink granite cheese press, window above balcony; rough-faced dividing band course; 3 single-pane round-arched windows to each elevation of 1st floor; dentil-moulded eaves cornice under deeply overhanging eaves; shallow pyramidal slate roof with iron weathervane to apex. Window to ground floor of bay to outer left; canted gableted dormer to attic floor above.

S ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 2-bay; bay to left advanced, advanced rectangular-plan tripartite window to ground floor surmounted by 4-light timber window breaking eaves to attic floor; irregular fenestration and lean-to additions to right return. Gabled bay to right with timber doorway flanked by windows to ground floor, bipartite window set in gablehead.

E ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 2-bay; gabled bay to right, regular fenestration.

N ELEVATION: asymmetrical; gabled bay to right, tripartite rectangular-plan window advanced to ground floor with 2 stone steps, tripartite window set in gablehead, flanking bays to left not seen 1999.

Predominantly 2 and 4-pane timber sash and case windows. Purple-grey slate roof with lead ridges. Coped granite wallhead and gablehead stacks with circular cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: not seen 1999.

GATES AND GATEPIERS: decorative cast-iron gates and gatepiers to SE of house, with pedestrian gate flanking to E.

Statement of Interest

Birsemore is a small settlement on the slope of Birsemore Hill on the S bank of the River Dee. The Alt Dinnie Burn (after which this villa is named) 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. Altdinnie is a finely detailed villa, with particularly good Italianate tower and timber balcony.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77773681

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

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)