Provost Skene's House And Archway, Broad Street, Aberdeen

Provost Skene's House is a large town house with 16th-century origins, but largely dating from the 17th century. A section was constructed in 1626, and in 1670 the original house was remodelled and combined with the earlier extension to create a 4-storey, U-plan building. The central section, facing southeast, has a near-symmetrical, 4-bay flat roof, while a 5-stage square-plan stair tower rises at the northeast corner. The exterior is built from granite rubble with contrasting squared, chamfered margins. Corbelled stair turrets with distinctive "candle-snuffer" roofs are situated in the re-entrant angles to the southeast, where an early 19th-century, single-storey, piended porch is also located. Gabled dormers break the eaves, one featuring a carved Coat of Arms.

A studded, timber entrance door, richly moulded and corniced, is set into the south side of the square stair tower, accompanied by a carved decorative doorpiece with carved panels depicting grapes, swags, and a Coat of Arms. The windows are predominantly 12 and 18-pane timber sash and case, with some fixed multi-pane windows in the turrets. The roof is covered in grey slate, and there are coped gable, wallhead, and ridge stacks.

The interior features an outstanding decorative scheme and a mainly 17th-century room plan. A barrel-vaulted room is located in the basement, and there are spiral staircases, including a shallow tread dog-leg entrance stair with a timber balustrade. Several rooms have excellent late 17th-century deep-relief plaster ceilings carved with various motifs, including fleur-de-lys, thistles, roses, and crowns. Some mid-18th-century timber panelling is also present. The dining room features a large sandstone-lintelled fireplace supported by a pair of pilasters, and a Corinthian-columned fire surround and overmantel. The kitchen has a large arched fireplace, and a small room contains an 18th-century wall painting depicting a classical landscape and figures. A particularly notable feature is the earlier 17th-century painted gallery ceiling constructed from tempera on board, depicting The Life of Christ in ten panels (some now blank) and incorporating a prominent heraldic motif representing the Five Sacred Wounds of Christ.

An archway was constructed in 1673, situated to the west of the house and enclosed within a 20th-century rubble wall. It features a moulded round arch with a cornice above, and is built from granite rubble.