Description

John Leonard, Pitlochry, 1897, altered at ground. 3-storey, 9-bay (above ground), Renaissance style terrace of shops and later bank with flatted dwellings above, and single storey shop. Squared and coursed rubble with contrasting ashlar dressings; marble bank. Deep eaves course and cornice. Pedimented doors and heavily pedimented dormerheads to 2nd floor windows breaking eaves; blind balustrades; stone mullions.

SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: ground floor shop fronts largely altered but 3 to centre retain scroll-bracketted and corniced fascia boards. Fixed display window of Post Office to centre bay with deep-set panelled timber door and fanlight to right and further similar door to left; traditional shop with in-canted centre door in bay to right of centre, panelled timber door with plate glass fanlight beyond, and 3 windows (that to left part-blocked with cash-dispensing machine) to altered bank at outer right with contrasting bands of marble and stylised carved thistles; 2 modern shops in bays to left of centre with further door to outer left. All behind modern glazed canopy with slender iron columns and decorative brackets. Flat-roofed single storey traditionally-detailed jewellers shop to outer left with 2-leaf part-glazed timber door at rounded angle and fixed display window to right, all surmounted by deep fascia and cornice. 1st floor with wide-centre tripartite window to centre bay, flanked by single windows, 2 bipartites and similar tripartite to outer bays. 2nd floor fenestration as 1st floor but with pedimented dormerheads breaking eaves, those to tripartite windows extending into dominant heavy scroll-flanked and pilastered panels, each with carved shell and keystone; windows punctuated by deep balustered course between cornice and eaves.

SE (MILL LANE) ELEVATION: gabled elevation with (with modern canopy) bank entrance to ground floor with door to left and 2 large windows to right; windows to centre and left bays of each floor above.

NW (MILL LANE) ELEVATION: gabled elevation with single storey shop projecting at ground with 2 fixed display windows to right surmounted by deep fascia and cornice. Slightly lower, corniced stone bay with further display window in penultimate bay to left and bipartite window beyond angled to outer left. Recessed 1st floor with windows in bays to centre and right, and 3 regularly disposed windows to 2nd floor.

NE (REAR, MILL LANE) ELEVATION: variety of elements to regularly-fenestrated elevation, including piended dormerheads at 2nd floor. Stepped boundary walls abutting at outer angles incorporating piended single storey outhouses (partially converted to retail units) and forming small courtyard.

SHOP INTERIORS: mostly modern, but jeweller's shop retains boarded timber walls and ceiling.

Plate glass glazing pattern in timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Coped ashlar stacks with full complement of polygonal cans, and ashlar-coped skews with moulded skewputts. Cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers and fixings.

Statement of Interest

Alba Place, occupying the site of Old Mill House, was built for the Robertson family, at a cost of more than £5000. The following report appeared on Saturday March 20, 1897 "the ground flat will consist of business premises of which the principal will be the new Post Office, which occupies a position in the centre. The accommodation will consist of a public office, telegraph-room, sorting-room, waiting-room, and other necessary space. .... The upper flats of the building will consist of dwelling-houses, while cellars will be situated in the basement". The new Post Office was opened on 30th May, 1898.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17834272

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

• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
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  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
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  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
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  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)