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Summary

Description

Robert Gordon Wilson, dated 1899. Unusual 3-storey and attic, 4-bay Scots Rennaissance style townhouse with shops to ground incorporating fragments from earlier buildings. Grey, polished granite ashlar; deeply moulded cornicing to ground and jettied second floors. Shop to ground with rusticated round-arched entrance to close at far right; embedded Classical portal with round-arched window above surmounted by armorial panel with roll-moulded surround. Segmental arched windows to remaining bays to left with raised cills. Small 12-pane casement windows to second floor flanked by oculus windows. Large, multi-paned dormers break eaves; dormerheads to inner bays contain fabric from earlier building, one dated 1680. Moulded arch within pend to corbelled re-entrant angle turret stair; 16th century moulded doorway to rear with armorial panel, dated 1730.

Grey slate to steeply pitched roof; ashlar skews and skewputts; broad, corniced ashlar stacks; clay cans.

Statement of Special Interest

This tall building is an interesting amalgamation of Scottish architectural detailing designed by the prolific and well-regarded Aberdeen architect, Robert Gordon Wilson. Occupying a prominent position, Nos 6 and 8 Upperkirkgate provide a significant part of the street's eclectic run of buildings along its North side with large windows facing Broad Street towards the harbour. The particularly unusual 'doorway' at first floor right is based on the design for the entrance to the Scots College in Paris, while the moulded doorway to the rear of the building survives from the 16th century house of Provost Robertson, which stood on the same site. The panel to the rear bears the names 'Alexander Robertson' and 'Jean Strachan'. The buildings that lined the S side of Upperkirkgate were cleared from the 1930's onwards as part of a programme of slum clearances, and eventually to allow room for the civic buildings of the St Nicholas House development. Upperkirkgate stands on the site of one of the city's many ancient gates, or 'ports'.

References

Bibliography

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