9 Albyn Place, Aberdeen

9 Albyn Place is a classical villa likely designed by Archibald Simpson around 1820, with later additions and alterations made in the late 20th century. The building is two storeys and has a basement, presented as a three-bay composition. It is constructed of tooled coursed granite with finely finished margins, incorporating a base course, a first-floor cill course, an eaves cornice, and a blocking course.

The north (principal) elevation is nearly symmetrical, featuring a semi-circular-plan porch in the centre bay at ground floor level. This porch is supported by Tuscan columns and accessed via semi-circular granite steps leading to a two-leaf panelled timber door with a decorative fanlight. Narrow windows flank the doorway. The centre of the first floor has a window above, and the blocking course steps up to the centre. The flanking bays to the left and right are slightly advanced, with louvred openings in the basement. Ground floor windows within round-arched recesses contain granite roundels above. Regular sash windows are present on the first floor. A single-storey, flat-roofed wing adjoins the outer left side.

The west elevation is asymmetrical, with a brick bay visible on the left of the ground floor, and windows to the centre and right bays. A blind window is situated to the left of the first floor, while two windows are flanked to the right.

The south elevation’s ground floor is partly obscured by later additions, but the first floor has regular fenestration. A two-storey, flat-roofed addition in harled finish was added in the late 20th century, with irregular window placement.

The east elevation is also asymmetrical and partially obscured by a single-storey wing at ground floor level, with irregular fenestration. A blind window is positioned to the right of the first floor, while two windows are flanked to the left.

The building has predominantly nine-pane and twelve-pane timber sash and case windows, a piended grey slate roof with lead ridges, coped brick wallhead stacks with octagonal cans, and cast-iron rainwater goods.

The interior retains many original features, including skirting boards, door and window architraves, panelled timber doors, cornices, and fretwork details to some architraves. The entrance hall has pilasters that support a segmental-arched roof, with moulded anthemion motifs and a round-arched niche flanked by a doorway leading to the stair. The elegantly curved stair features decorative cast-iron balusters supporting a wooden handrail. A decorative timber fire surround from 1 Albyn Place, along with a panelled and mirrored overmantle and a pilastered buffet recess are found in the dining room. Most rooms have mid-20th century fireplaces, but a fine 19th-century timber fire surround is present in the modern addition.

The property is enclosed by a low, coped rough-faced granite wall to the north, surmounted by railings, with square-plan gatepiers featuring pyramidal caps at the ends. Rubble walls with granite and brick coping define the boundaries to the east and west.