Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

STIRLING STREET, TRINITY STREET AND CARMELITE LANE, CARMELITE HOTELLB20619

Status: Designated

Documents

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Summary

Category
B
Date Added
26/04/1977
Local Authority
Aberdeen
Planning Authority
Aberdeen
Burgh
Aberdeen
NGR
NJ 94178 6089
Coordinates
394178, 806089

Description

James Souttar 1869, with additions William Henderson, 1885. Large, 3-storey and attic, well-detailed, Gothic style hotel on gushet site with central internal well and good interior details. Tooled, coursed granite with contrasting ashlar dressings. Band courses. Predominantly pointed arch windows to upper storeys; other segmental-arched windows. Partly crenellated with crenellated round turret to SW, round turret to N at apex of triangle. Pedimented and semicircular gabled wallhead dormers.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: Asymmetrical elevations. 12-bay entrance elevation to W with slightly advanced bay to left with timber panelled entrance door with bracketed balcony above with pair of sculptured figures. Bipartite and tripartite windows above with slender columned mullions and fleur-de-lys decorative feature. Tripartite oriel window to right.

To S: gabled 7-bay elevation small hood moulded round-arched windows in apexes and broad, coped stacks above with vertical indentations. Balcony to 1st storey at Trinity Street (S).

INTERIOR: good decorative interior with some fine original features. Dog-leg stair with moulded timber balustrade. Double-arched entrance to public room with polished granite column. 4-panelled timber doors. Fine decorative plaster ceiling and cornice to public room. Some good quality painted glass depicting Scottish and British heraldic symbols (see Notes). Small stained glass roundel of St Andrew.

Predominantly plate glass timber sash and case windows. Grey slate. Ridge and gable stacks.

Statement of Special Interest

As one of the few secular buildings in Aberdeen to be built in the Gothic style, this is a particularly unusual and distinctive building. Situated on a distinctive triangular site, there is fine external decoration. The Gothic revival style became popular in the mid 19th century, partly as a result of thinkers such as John Ruskin, who advocated the superiority of the Medieval period and its architecture. Initially used for religious buildings, the style had, by the later 19th century expanded into domestic buildings, as here. Often portrayed as a reaction against the severity of classicism, the Gothic style makes this building a rarity in the classical cityscape of Aberdeen.

The painted glass in the interior is of some quality and the images depict various heraldic symbols including the pre 1603 Royal Scottish Coat of Arms, the Royal Shield and decorative thistles and roses.

The Carmelite Hotel takes its name from the Cormelite Order, which was associated with this area in the 13th century. Their house seems to have been bounded on the North by The Green and the site of this hotel may have been situated within the House confines. As the Carmelites preferred to position their friaries away from the main city, this suggests that this area would have been outside the medieval precincts of Aberdeen.

James Souttar (1840-1922) was born in London and articled to Mackenzie and Mathews in Aberdeen from 1852-1860. He then travelled extensively throughout Europe, living for some time in Sweden. He settled in Aberdeen from 1866 and his output include various work within the City, including the Salvation Army Citadel (see separate listing).

William Henderson (1828/9-1899) was an Aberdeen architect whose output was mainly confined to the Aberdeenshire area and included bank buildings, public works and private houses.

References

Bibliography

2nd Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1899-1901). Ranald MacInnes, The Aberdeen Guide, 2000 p128. E.P.Dennison, J. Stones, Historic Aberdeen, 1997.

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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Printed: 29/03/2024 02:35