Description

Pirie and Clyne, 1885. 2-storey and attic, 2-bay villa with Egypto-Greek detailing. Coursed grey rough-faced granite to principal elevation, Aberdeen bond granite rubble to remainder, finely finished to margins. Dark grey rough-faced granite base course; ground floor cill course; projecting cills to 1st floor; finely finished lintel band course; parapet to principal elevation.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: asymmetrical; window to right of ground floor; window to 1st floor above, reveals waisted towards base, sunken fillet to finely finished pilasters below lintel, deep entablature slightly advanced above with 2 navel paterae, stylised anthemion centred at wallhead; canted window through ground and 1st floors of bay to left forming balcony to attic floor, pilastered mullions with sunken fillet at capital; gableted attic floor flanked by 2 deep scrolls with decorative skewputts, tripartite window with squat pilasters flanking below lintel, 2 navel paterae above, decorative stone finial to apex.

NE ELEVATION: near-symmetrical; 3-bay; gabled bay to centre, round-arched doorway with scrolled horseshoe surround to centre of ground floor, deep-set pilastered panelled timber door, flanked by glazed panels, letterbox fanlight, bull's-eye windows with moulded surrounds flanking to left and right; window to centre of 1st floor above, reveals waisted towards base, sunken fillet to finely finished pilasters below lintel, corniced entablature; tripartite window set in gablehead of attic, decorative finial to apex; panelled timber door to ground floor of left return, 3-light oriel window to 1st floor, small deep-set opening to attic floor; opening to ground floor of right return; blank bays flanking to left and right.

NW ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 3-bay; 2 windows to ground floor, lean-to addition extends to right of ground floor; irregular fenestration to 1st floor; 2 modern skylights to attic floor.

SW ELEVATION: gabled; stair window between ground and 1st floors, window set in gablehead above; addition to outer left.

2-pane and 4-pane timber sash and case windows; some replacement windows to 1st floor. Grey slate roof with lead ridge. Stone skews with scrolled skewputts. Coped gablehead and wallhead stacks, circular and octagonal cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: subdivided into ground floor and 1st floor flats. Some mouldings and doors survive to ground floor, geometric frieze to lounge. First floor not seen 2000.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: low rough-faced pink granite Aberdeen bond walls to S and E, with grey granite snecking and coping; single gatepier shared with Nos 64-66 Hamilton Place (see separate listing) to SW, grey granite shaft swept up from plinth, rough-faced pink granite neck surmounted by scrolled cap, rubble dividing wall to W; coped rubble wall swept down to E, with granite coping, boarded timber door to left.

Statement of Interest

A-Group with 63, 79, 64-66, 68-70, 72, 74-76, 78-80, 82-84, 86-88, 90-92, 94-96 and 98 Hamilton Place Place, Whitehill Bowling Green Wall and 87 Fountainhall Road (see separate listings). 62 Hamilton Place is the terminating block of J B Pirie (1851-1892) and Arthur Clyne's (1853-1924) finest terrace. It was built for James Moir, the Rector of Aberdeen Grammar School (see separate listing). 62 Hamilton Place does not follow the double villa formula of the majority of Pirie and Clyne's houses in Hamilton Place, however the massing, masonry techniques and decorative motifs are in harmony with the rest of the street. Recessed planes flanking the windows direct the eye to the bold ornamentation. The navel-like paterae appear in the majority of the designs by the partnership. The paterae are probably a development of the sunflower (a favourite motif of the Aesthetic Movement) or daffodil. A variation of the patera is also a favourite motif of Alexander Thomson, who appears to have been a strong influence on Pirie in particular. Another motif employed by both Thomson and Pirie and Clyne is the squat column, flanking the windows at the attic floor of 62 Hamilton Place, and also at the side entrance of St. Vincent Street Church, Glasgow (1857-8) by Thomson (see separate listing). Despite the similarities with the work of Thomson, Pirie and Clyne's designs are also highly individual. Their buildings combine High Victorian gothic, Greek, Scots Baronial, Aesthetic Movement and even proto-Art Nouveau motifs.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17576503

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

• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  For the Record