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Summary

Description

Circa 1885. 2-storey, 3-bay, rectangular-plan, asymmetrical gabled villa with barge-boarded, canted gables to timber dormers breaking eaves terminating in cast-iron finials. Squared bull-faced granite courses with yellow ashlar sandstone margins to openings. Base course, slightly projecting stringcourse between 1st and 2nd storey, bull-faced eaves course. Sandstone mullions to principal windows.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: door to centre, chamfered letterbox fanlight, small dormer window to 2nd storey. Advanced gabled bay to left, slightly advanced 3-light window to centre with piended slate roof, bipartite window with small stone canopy to 2nd storey gablehead,

stone finial to apex. 3-light, advanced canted bay to right with piended slate roof, canted dormer to 2nd storey.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: irregular fenestration, square-headed dormers breaking eaves.

E (SIDE) ELEVATION: adjoining former Bridge of Alford Stores building.

W (SIDE) ELEVATION: blind gable end.

4-pane, timber frame sash and case windows. Grey slates, lead flashing. Sawtooth-coped skews. Coped gable stacks.

INTERIOR: timber panelled doors, skirting, dado and baluster; plain plasterwork.

BOUNDARY WALL: low wall enclosing small front garden; coped bull-faced granite courses, stepped wallhead to right return, pyramid-capped gatepiers.

Statement of Special Interest

A good quality domestic villa built as a group with the abutting James Sheriff's Bridge of Alford Stores (see separate listing). The buildings formed a thriving rural general store and emporium where "sugar and soap to scythes and cattle cake and accounts settled twice yearly at May and Martinmass". The two buildings were built together for the Sheriff family, who went on to run the business for several generations through to the 1960s. Donbank was the principal living quarters of the family, the store facing the river and the post office to the rear with accommodation for the postmen and shop girls above. The front parlour on the eastern side of Donbank had, at one time, an internal connecting door through to the store and was used as a ladies' fitting room during shop hours. Early photographs of the two buildings show that the front garden gate to Donbank was originally situated to the eastern return of the boundary wall, making access more convenient from the store.

References

Bibliography

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