Description

1901-2. Tall 2-storey and attic, 4-bay, L-plan, gabled villa with polygonal corner tower with decorative leadwork to roof , gabled porch, inglenook and very fine interior. Variety of narrow and broad stugged ashlar bands and rusticated ashlar, squared and snecked rubble to W and N; stugged and polished ashlar dressings. Base course; band and cill courses to tower and canted windows; modillioned cornice to tower. Segmental-arched, voussoired doorpiece. Stone mullions.

S (PRINCIPAL, KING'S ROAD) ELEVATION: single storey porch (see Notes) to 2 centre bays at ground, incorporating diagonally-boarded base surmounted by multi-pane glazing, gabled doorway at left leading to panelled timber door in segmental-arched frame with decorative bevelled glazing pattern to side and top lights; tripartite window at 1st floor left and blank rusticated ashlar bay to right breaking eaves into dominant battered stack. Gabled bay to outer left with full-height canted window; finialled corner tower to outer right with 3 windows to each floor and part-glazed timber door with coloured glass fanlight in re-entrant angle to left at ground (leading to porch).

E (QUEEN'S ROAD) ELEVATION: tower (see above) to left angle, centre bay at ground with decoratively-astragalled, coloured glass to single window, small window off-set to right above and gabled bay to right with canted window at ground, tripartite above and narrow light in gablehead.

W ELEVATION: plain elevation with lower service wing to outer left, and incorporating inglenook to outer right at ground.

N ELEVATION: variety of elements including dominant decoratively-astragalled stair window at centre.

Largely plate glass glazing in timber sash and case window; multi-pane leaded and coloured glazing stair window (also with external secondary glazing) and top lights of tower windows; plain multi-pane leaded glazing to inglenook. Grey slates. Banded and coped ashlar stacks with cans. Deeply overhanging eaves with exposed rafter ends and pierced bargeboarding.

INTERIOR: fine decorative scheme in place incorporating decorative plasterwork, decorative brass door furniture, timber fireplaces to service wing. Screen door leading to stairhall with elaborate plasterwork cornicing, broad keystoned segmental arch on fluted pilasters and panelled walls incorporating stepped, lugged architraves and panelled timber doors; dog-leg staircase with decorative timber balusters and carved square section newel posts with obelisk finials as at gatepiers. Room to SW with compartmented ceiling, mutuled cornice, broad segmental arch on paired fluted pilasters leading to inglenook with panelled overmantel incorporating mirror, sunburst-pattern fireplace of small glazed fire bricks and some wall panelling. Dining room with bowed door, corniced and bracketed firesurround with swag frieze, and folding dividing door leading to tower room with 'scrollwork icing' in tower angle. Maid's box made by 'D J J M Mitchell' 'Stonehaven' lists 'Front Door', 'Back Door' 'Dining Room' 'Drawing Room' 'Library' and 5 'Bedrooms'.

BOUNDARY WALLS, GATEPIERS AND GATES: low saddleback-coped boundary walls with inset railings. Square-section rusticated ashlar gatepiers with fluted frieze, cornice and obelisk finials, 2-leaf decorative ironwork gates incorporating centre band with 'CLAREMONT'.

Statement of Interest

A deceptively ornate interior lies within this relatively plain late Victorian villa which stands in its own grounds on what was at the turn of the twentieth century, the outskirts of town. The land, extending to approximately three roods, was feued in 1901 to solicitor Daniel Cooper Booth. There was a clause in the deeds stating that a house be built within five years, and plans were approved on 14th May, 1901. Building was clearly expensive, as Mr Booth was declared bankrupt soon after building was completed. Tradition says that he chose the rather austere exterior while his wife was given a free hand with the interior detail. Claremont was subsequently purchased by a dentist, who used the dining room as a dental surgery and the front porch as a waiting room. An early photograph in the owner's possession shows the porch prior to enclosure, presumably before conversion to a waiting room. Claremont is advertised for rent by Mrs Booth in Reid's 'Picturesque Stonehaven', with the address given as King's Road.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77778084

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

• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)