Description
A pair of two-storey, two-bay, rectangular-plan semi-detached houses dating from the early 19th century. They are built in coursed, squared rubble with small pinnings and smooth, advanced and droved sandstone margins and door and window surrounds.The principal (east) elevation of the paired houses feature arched doorways with timber pilasters and decorative glazed fan lights above double storm doors to the centre bays. There is an ashlar base course and dentilled, bracketed eaves cornice.
An early 19th century, single storey, gabled former stable is linked to Number 2 by a single storey wall. It is built of large block coursed rubble and features a round window in the gable apex.
The roof has small slates with corniced stone gable end stacks and stone skews. Number 1 has a dormer window to front and rear. The rear elevations are rendered.
The interiors of the semi-detached houses have curved stone stairs with plain squared iron bannisters and mahogany handrails from the ground floor to the second floor. Number 1 has an early 19th century decorative cornice and ceiling rose to the principal room The interior of number 2 has an early 19th century lobby screen with diamond pane glazing, early 19th century plain classical fire surrounds, and several original six-panel timber doors.
There are low coped rubble walls and paired separate gateways with short gatepiers to the front (east) of each house. An early 19th century tall boundary wall built in finely tooled rubble extends around the south, west, and north boundaries of the gardens.
Legal exclusions
In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: 1A Melville Terrace and garage to northwest.
The two-storey, two-bay 1887 addition at Number 1A Melville Terrace replaced one of the early 19th century paired stables at the northwest of the villas. Number 1A was built around 1887 as a commercial premises by the owner of one half of the semi-detached villas. The design style and proportions of its principal elevation are significantly different to the villas such that they do not add to their interest. Number 1A is not considered to be of interest in listing terms and has been excluded from the listing.
The large part-sunken garage to the northwest of the houses first appears on a map in 1951. It is not considered to be of special architectural or historic interest, and it is proposed that it is excluded from the listing.
Historical development
1 and 2 Melville Terrace first appear on John Wood's map the Town Plan of Stirling (1820) in the ownership of Messrs King. At that time the houses are shown with symmetrical paired stable buildings linked to each side by walls and a large, shared garden to the rear. By the first edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1860, published 1895) the building is shown as two houses with divided gardens. The addition to the north (1A) is first shown on the second edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1892, published 1905) and it shares its garden ground with number 1.
The Valuation Rolls record that David Marshall was the proprietor of Number 1 in 1894 and that he was also a tenant of a building at 87 Port Street, Stirling at the same time. A newspaper advert from December 1886 recorded Marshall was a dentist practicing from Port Street and an advert the next year announced the dental practice had move to 1 Melville Terrace. This suggests the addition (1A) was built as a commercial building attached to his own home around 1887.
Number 1 has been used as an office since the later 20th century and number 2 is a domestic dwelling.
Statement of Interest
1 and 2 Melville Terrace meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:
- They are a notable example of a pair early 19th century symmetrically designed classical houses.
- Their simple classical style is well retained, particularly to the principal elevation and also includes early 19th century features to the interiors.
- They retain their historic setting as part of a largely unaltered group of early 19th century buildings of similar classical style and quality.
- They are a good surviving example of buildings that typify the early 19th century suburban development of Scotland's towns.
Architectural interest
Design
The pair of semi-detached houses are designed in a symmetrical, classical style. Their design quality is particularly evident in the front elevation which has dressed stone margins and arched doorways with columns and decorative timber fanlights over the doors. The modest scale, symmetry and restrained classical detailing is typical of the earlier 19th century. Whinstone rubble was a common building material at the time but the high quality of the rubble masonry pattern in these villas is of particular note.
There have been alterations to the houses including the loss of one of the former stable wings and the addition of an attic dormer and the later 19th century two storey section. The classical detailing of the houses is however well retained and contributes to the overall historic character of the buildings.
Internally the pair retain a good level of early 19th century detailing between them including the turned three-storey staircases and some decorative cornices. These interior features are in keeping with the classical style of the interior and is typical of the period for houses of this status.
Setting
The pair of villas are a key part of a historic group of houses of similar date and style and are representative of the development of high-quality suburban villas in Stirling southwards in the early 19th century.
The area is covered by the Kings Park Conservation Area (CA220) and many contemporary villas on Melville Terrace and opposite on Pitt Terrace are also listed.
The immediate setting has interest because Melville Terrace was built set back and at a higher level than St Ninian's Road, the main road into the centre of Stirling, giving it a sense of status, elevated above the main thoroughfare.
This setting is substantially unaltered since the early 19th century, and this adds to their special interest.
Historic interest
Historic interest is in such things as a building's age, rarity, social historical interest and associations with people or events that have had a significant impact on Scotland's cultural heritage. Historic interest is assessed under three headings:
Age and rarity
Urban villas dating to the 19th century are not a rare building type and can be found across Scotland. However, surviving examples which date to the early part of the 19th century represent the early suburban expansion of Scotland's towns.
Within the local context, 1 and 2 Melville Terrace are an early example of villas built as part of the suburban expansion of Stirling, as shown on John Wood's map of 1820. They are amongst the first in a long street of suburban villas that were built between 1810 and 1835 extending south from the historic old town of Stirling. The majority of the houses on the other side of the street (east) are built in dressed sandstone but 1 and 2 Melville Terrace is of a rubble style construction which reflects their earlier date and adds to the interest of the site.
Although not a rare building type, 1 and 2 Melville Terrace are a good surviving example of a classical style pair of villas that display their simple classical form and retain much of their early 19th century fabric and historic character.
Social historical interest
Social historical interest is the way a building contributes to our understanding of how people lived in the past, and how our social and economic history is shown in a building and/or in its setting.
There is some special interest under this heading because 1 and 2 Melville Terrace are good surviving examples of buildings that typify the early 19th century suburban development of Scotland's towns.
Association with people or events of national importance
There is no association with a person or event of national importance.
External Links
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
Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)