Langley, 23-27 Forest Road, Aberdeen

Langley is a large villa, built in 1888 by Matthews & Mackenzie, with a rear addition dating to around 1905 by William Kelly of Kelly & Nicol. The original villa is two storeys and a basement, with a substantial addition to the east. The main elevation is constructed of rough-faced coursed grey granite in an Aberdeen bond, while the remainder is of granite rubble. The finer dressings and margins contrast with the more robust stonework. A dark grey rough-faced granite base course, quoins, a first-floor sill course, eaves course, and overhanging eaves with timber bargeboards are also visible.

The west-facing principal elevation is asymmetrical and three bays wide. A central doorway to the ground floor is accessed by stone steps with railings and features a panelled timber door with glazed panels and a letterbox fanlight, with a window above on the first floor. The basement, ground, and first floors of the bay to the left have regular fenestration. A broad canted bay extends to the right, with a window to the centre of the basement floor and windows to each of the three facets at ground and first floor levels.

The south-east elevation is asymmetrical and two bays wide, with a gabled bay to the left. A conservatory sits at ground floor, and a three-light canted oriel is corbelled out at first floor. The addition constructed around 1905 adjoins at an angle to the outer right. It is asymmetrical and two bays wide and includes a narrow link bay with a window to the ground floor and a shallow canted gabled bay with a tripartite window to the ground floor and a three-light corbelled oriel to the first floor, flanked by narrow windows with blind trefoil-heads. The gablehead of this addition is harled and projects from brackets.

The north-east elevation is largely obscured by the 1905 addition. A timber conservatory is linked to the ground floor by a modern flat-roofed glazed block. A wallhead stack with an advanced flue runs through the ground and first floors, breaking the eaves.

The north-west elevation shows the original 1888 villa, two bays wide, to the right, alongside a blank gabled bay and a piend-roofed garage. The garage has a panelled door facing Forest Road. A lean-to addition is present on the left return, with a window to the first floor above. A recessed bay is hidden by various additions, while the 1905 addition adjoins at an angle to the outer left, facing north, with irregularly placed door and window openings, and a gabled bay with a harled gablehead.

The villa originally featured predominantly timber sash and case windows, with a plate glass lower pane and decoratively leaded upper sash. Some replacement PVCu glazing is now present on the 1905 addition. The roof is covered in grey slate with lead ridges. Coped gablehead and wallhead stacks topped with circular cans provide ventilation, and cast-iron rainwater goods are in place.

The interior retains some original features, including fine moulded ceilings, fire surrounds, panelled timber doors, architraves, and mouldings, although the staircase has been removed.

Two pairs of square-plan gatepiers with corniced caps mark the entrance to the west, flanked by low coped boundary walls. Further coped rubble walls enclose the remainder of the property.