Monte Rosa Cottage, 57 Thomson Street, Aberdeen

Monte Rosa Cottage, 57 Thomson Street, Aberdeen

This Grade B listed building is a 2-bay, single storey and attic semi-detached L-plan cottage designed by John Morgan and built between 1878 and 1880. It occupies the end position of a terrace and presents an asymmetrical composition. The principal and left sections of the side elevation are faced in coursed squared rough-faced granite, while the rear is predominantly random granite rubble with squared margins and quoins. A base course runs across the building. The fenestration is predominantly irregular.

The east (front) elevation features a rounded corner at the far right, terminated just below the eaves by a moulded stop-chamfer with an arris above. The ground floor contains a bipartite window to the left with a recessed apron and consoled cornice, and a canted bay window to the right with a dentilled cornice and truncated piended roof. A recessed piend-roofed entrance porch with a deep granite base course and timber-framed glazing above is positioned to the right. The porch contains a timber-panelled door with letterbox fanlight and margin lights facing east, and a timber and glazed door with fanlight and margin lights facing west. The attic storey has a piended dormer to the left with dentilled cornice, and a canted piended dormer rising from the roof of the ground floor bay window to the right, also with dentilled cornice and a foliate finial. An orb sculpture surmounts the skewputt at the right.

The north (side) elevation is asymmetrical, with a 3-bay advanced gable to the left, a 2-bay central section, and a slightly recessed single-bay section to the right. The left section features a 1st floor lintel course and an eaves course with a shaped horizontal section; a band course with blind arch to the centre reaches the apex of the gable. At ground floor level, a window with recessed apron and consoled cornice sits to the far left, while the entrance porch (as described above) is centrally positioned. Inside the porch is a timber-panelled and glazed door featuring coloured square quarries and two roundels inscribed with the initials 'JM' and the words 'Monte Rosa Cottage', with a dentilled corniced doorpiece, letterbox fanlight, and flanking margin lights. To the right of the porch is a bipartite window. A recessed date stone above the porch displays the initials 'JM' and the date '1879'. The 1st floor of the left section contains a tripartite window of round-headed openings with a keystone to the central opening, and a bipartite window to the right bay. The central section has a bipartite window to the ground floor right bay. At 1st floor level, the central section features a narrow window to the left bay and a canted panelled and moulded timber oriel window with brattishing and a stylised dog supporting bracket to the right bay. The right section is blank to the ground floor and contains a timber and glazed conservatory at 1st floor level.

The west (rear) elevation shows a very advanced section to the left, with a timber-boarded door and bipartite window at ground floor level, and a timber-framed glazed conservatory with timber-panelled base and semi-pyramidal corrugated plastic roof at 1st floor level. To the right is a timber veranda with ornamental spandrels, a ground floor window, and a piend-roofed canted dormer to the roof.

The south (side) elevation features a slightly recessed section to the left, which is blank at ground floor level but contains a conservatory at 1st floor level. The centre has a single window to the ground floor and a piend-roofed timber oriel window at 1st floor level.

The glazing is predominantly non-traditional uPVC. Plate glass appears in the timber sash and case windows to the ground floor left bay of the front elevation and the oriel window to the north elevation. The oriel window to the south elevation has square quarries in timber frames with small stained glass panels to the top lights. The pitched roof is covered with graded grey slates and features stone skews and skewputts with brattishing to the ridge. Corniced gable-head stacks rise from the north and west elevations, with a mutual corniced ridge stack to the south; these are predominantly octangular in form. Some cast-iron rainwater goods remain, including a cast-iron down-pipe with an ornamental gargoyle-style hopper to the north elevation.

Interior

The ground floor hall is lined with wooden panelling to dado height and features distinctively designed panelled doors. A timber-framed mirror with a gilt-lettered Burns quotation is present, along with reeded architraves with rosettes at the corners and a running pelmetted wooden shelf immediately above lintels. A dentilled cornice and shallow relief ceiling pattern complete the space.

The front room to the north contains a timber chimneypiece with squat colonnettes, with slender colonnettes featuring roll-moulded bases and capitals applied to a wall press and window. A picture rail and ornate ceiling cornice are also present.

The front room to the south has deep skirtings and a bracketed shelf at dado height. To the left is a classical pilastered and corniced mirror frame with seven gilded roundels at the base containing a Shakespeare quotation. Below this are timber panels containing a series of Minton glazed tiles depicting the Seven Ages of Man. Opposite stands a chunky pilastered oak chimneypiece with three Minton tiles from Moyr Smith's Idylls of the King series alternating with gilt roundels containing a quotation from the Book of Job. An encaustic tiled hearth is positioned below. Flanking the chimney breast are high-level shelves with carved hoods (formerly glass-fronted bookcases) featuring gilded roundels containing quotations from Cowper, Tennyson, Shakspere, and Ruskin on the left shelf, and Burns, Carlyle, and Scott on the right. The window features a timber-panelled soffit and a panelled and mirrored mullion. A moulded cornice with gilded paterae and a coffered ceiling with stylised floreate bosses and painted and gilded stylised floreate decoration to the caissons complete the room.

The rear room to the south contains a classical timber chimneypiece with inset Minton Hollins tiles from Moyr Smith's Shakespeare series on each side and tiles, probably Minton, depicting Greek myth to the lintel. Inside the door to a wall press is a Wordsworth quotation painted in black on gilt.

The staircase is dog-leg in plan, constructed in timber with turned balusters and square carved newels with acorn finials. Above the ground floor stair is a lintel with angel-face corbels, while above the 1st floor stair is a lintel with foliate corbels. A moulded ceiling cornice runs through this space. The bipartite window to the second flight is divided by a squat Corinthian column.

A half-storey room to the rear features a door and architrave matching those in the hall, with a wooden plaque on the door painted with a portrait of John Morgan. A classical timber chimneypiece is present, along with timber panelling to the reveals of both oriel windows. The north-facing oriel has slender colonnettes with roll-moulded bases and capitals. A small window to the south wall features etched glass. A moulded ceiling cornice and a timber and glazed door with shallow relief plaster panels thought to depict Shakespearean scenes lead to the conservatory.

The front room at 1st floor (north) contains a classical painted timber chimneypiece with carved floreate bosses and floral design embossed tile panels to the sides, with embossed tiles above depicting Pax and Bellum. Timber panelling lines the lower part of the bay window, which is flanked by newels, and a moulded cornice finishes the space.