Voluntary Services Aberdeen, Gallowgate

Voluntary Services Aberdeen on Gallowgate is a tall, two-storey former school building, likely dating from the early 19th century, with a northeast wing added in the mid to later 19th century and some minor later additions. It was converted into retail premises in the late 20th century. The exterior features coursed and roughly squared snecked rubble with raised ashlar margins, though some areas have been altered with brick.

The southwest elevation facing Gallowgate has a monumental gabled design, featuring a large timber shop sign at ground level that covers a blocked opening, along with two blocked attic windows. The northwest elevation on Seamount Road presents an early stepped, blank façade with several blocked openings to the right of the centre, and four set-back regularly-fenestrated bays to the left.

The southeast entrance elevation showcases four regularly-fenestrated early bays, arranged in a 3-1 grouping to the left of centre. This includes taller openings at ground level, with the outer left serving as a door beneath a window. There is a flat-roofed entrance bay in the re-entrant angle to the right, alongside a later piended wing projecting at the outer right.

The windows primarily feature 3-, 6-, and 12-pane glazing patterns in timber sash and case style. The roof is covered with grey slates, and there are truncated rubble stacks with thackstanes, as well as coped ashlar stacks with some polygonal cans. The building also has ashlar-coped skews and moulded skewputts.

Inside, the interiors are plain but retain some features such as plain cornicing, boarded dadoes, architraved openings, and a dog-leg staircase with decorative cast-iron balusters.