53 Queen's Road, Aberdeen

This is a large, three-bay villa of probably 1899, designed by A Marshall Mackenzie and built by John Morgan, with later additions and alterations. It is now linked to numbers 49 and 51 Queen's Road (listed separately). The principal, north-west elevation is constructed of rough-faced coursed grey granite ashlar, with finely finished margins. The remaining elevations are of coursed granite rubble. A decorative pink granite cill course runs along the base, and a dividing band course is also visible on the north-west elevation; moulded pink granite cills are present on the north-west elevation. The north-west elevation is asymmetrical. A broad, round-arched doorway is centrally positioned on the ground floor, featuring moulded impost detail, alternating rough-faced and finely finished granite voussoirs, a keystone, and a modern glazed door. A bipartite window sits above the doorway on the first floor, and a single, rectangular dormer window is visible in the attic space. A gabled bay is located to the right, featuring a four-light canted window on the ground floor, with a parapet enclosing a balcony on the first floor. A bipartite window is positioned on the first floor of this section, and the attic floor is slightly advanced on corbel brackets, with a tripartite window centered in the gablehead. Overhanging eaves and an iron sunflower finial are present at the apex of the gable. A bull's-eye window is located on the ground floor of the bay to the right, and a large, round turret breaks through the eaves on the first floor, containing a central window and a conical, fishscale tiled roof with a lead finial. The south-west elevation is gabled and has a single window at first-floor level. The south-east elevation includes a modern, harled addition that obscures the ground floor and features a central first-floor window flanked by two Italianate tripartite round-arched windows. Rectangular dormers and dormers with catslide roofs are found in the attic floor. The north-east elevation is gabled but is largely obscured by a modern link to number 51 Queen's Road. The windows are mainly sash and case, with plate glass or two-pane lower sashes and small-pane upper sashes. The roof is covered in grey slate with a terracotta ridge. Stone skews are present, with blocked skewputts. Chimney stacks rise from the gables and break the roof’s pitch, capped with circular cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are fitted. The interior retains some timber panelling, original fireplaces, and decorative mouldings. The property is enclosed by square-plan, rough-faced granite gatepiers to the north-west (shared with neighbouring villas) and low, coped walls. The remainder of the boundary is formed by granite and brick rubble walls with coped tops.