Description

Early 20th century. 2-storey and attic, mirrored pair of 3-bay houses with gated entrance recess and well-detailed interiors. Stugged squared and snecked rubble with droved margins. Base and band courses; billeted cornices to oriel windows. Keystoned depressed-arched doorway. Corbels; stone mullions and chamfered arrises.

W (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical. Centre bay with decorative ironwork gate across arched entrance leading to 3 set-back part-glazed panelled timber doors and fanlights, outer doors and fanlights with multi-pane leaded glazing, and 2 windows at 1st floor. Advanced, gabled outer bays each with tripartite window to ground, canted inner angle corbelled to square at 1st floor with 4-light oriel window, and small horizontal tripartite in gablehead.

E (REAR) ELEVATIONS: symmetrically-fenestrated elevation with doors to centre at ground and wallhead stacks flanked by dormer windows.

No 25 with plate glass glazing in timber sash and case windows; No 23 with uPVC glazing. Grey slates. Coped ashlar stacks with cans; ashlar-coped skews with moulded skewputts; cast-iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hopper to NW.

INTERIORS: good decorative schemes in place. Decorative plasterwork cornices; dog-leg stairs with timber balusters; many fine fireplaces with decoratively-tiled cheeks and some with overmantels. 1st floor music room to No 25 with fireplace (not tiles) from No 23. Cooks attic rooms also with cornices and corner fireplaces. Some original picture rails. Service bell box.

Statement of Interest

Built by local businessman Mr Ramsay for his sisters, one of whom lived at No 25 until 1988. This pair of houses with such fine interior detail, reminiscent of the Edwardianised façade at the Queen's Hotel in Allardice Street, is of further interest due to the historical connection with the Ramsay family who owned Ramsay's Department Store (listed category 'B') at the corner of Market Square and Evan Street.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77777945

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)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)