Description

William R McKelvie, 1883. Quadrangular-plan public park.

GATES, GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS

Gateways to NE, W, SW and SE; 2-leaf decorative ironwork gates to centre of each gateway flanked to left and right by single pedestrian gate; 4 square-plan stop-chamfered gatepiers, battered rough-faced rubble base, ashlar shaft, spherical finial to decorative corniced cap; coped low quadrant granite walls to left and right with terminating piers (as above). Coped granite boundary walls, ashlar on rough-faced base to outer walls; walls stepped up to W surmounted by iron railings.

EAST LODGE

Single storey; 2-bay; baronial lodge to NE of park inside NE gate. Tooled coursed grey granite with long and short finely finished margins. Rough-faced base course; chamfered reveals; eaves cornice; decorative spherical stone finials to apex of gables.

W (Entrance) Elevation: asymmetrical; bay to left blank; gabled bay advanced to right, 3-light canted window to ground floor, narrow single pane window set in gablehead; square-plan entrance tower to re-entrant angle to left, window to centre, blind oculus in hoodmould above and to left return, roll-moulded doorway with panelled timber door and letterbox fanlight to ground floor of left return, pyramidal spire with fishscale banded roof and iron weathervane to apex.

S Elevation: asymmetrical; bipartite window off-centre to right at ground floor.

E Elevation: 20th century additions, predominantly not seen 1999.

N Elevation: symmetrical; gabled; bipartite window surmounted by nailhead stone set in stepped hoodmould with nailhead dripstones to centre, narrow single pane window set in gablehead; deeply chamfered angles to outer left and right.

Predominantly 2-pane replacement timber windows with top hoppers. Grey slate roof with lead ridge; louvred gableted ventilator breaking pitch to W. Coped stone skews with gableted skewputts. Corniced stop-chamfered granite ridge stacks with octagonal and circular cans. Decorative cast-iron rainwater goods.

Interior: not seen 1999.

Statement of Interest

B-Group with Duthie Park Bandstand, Bowling Pavilion, Footbridge over Upper Lake, Fountain, Fountainhall Cistern House, Gordon Highlanders Celtic Memorial, Gordon Highlanders Obelisk Memorial, Hygeia Statue, McGrigor Obelisk, Taylor Well, and Temperance Drinking Fountain (see separate listings). The site of the Duthie Park was originally a marshy piece of land covered in gorse (or whin, hence the nearby "Whinhill Road), it was known as Pulmoor, now "Polmuir". In 1850 Arthurseat (the villa on the site) and its surrounding land was intended to be developed as a Royal Garden to view the trains crossing the new viaduct to and from London via Ferryhill. However, in 1881 Miss Charlotte Duthie of Ruthrieston purchased the site and gifted it to the City of Aberdeen for a public park. It was decided it should be "available for all classes of citizens, that it should have a broad expanse of grassy sward upon which the young might indulge in innocent frolic and play..." (Duthie Park, p37). The park was designed by William R McKelvie of Dundee, and the first sod, of the 47 acres of land, was cut on the 27th of August 1881, the park being officially opened in 1883. The fine gates, gatepiers and walls of the Duthie Park all survive in good condition, enclosing one of Aberdeen's most important public parks. The East Lodge was built for the use of the Foreman Gardener.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17770119

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)