Railings And Boundary Walls, 1 Queen's Cross Including Gatepiers, Rubislaw, Aberdeen

J Russell Mackenzie, 1865; ironwork, Walter Macfarlane; later additions and alterations. Single storey, basement and attic, L-plan villa with 2-storey, basement and attic tower, French detailing. Tooled coursed granite ashlar, finely finished to margins. Base course; basket-arched windows to principal floor with stop-chamfered reveals; diving band course and cornice; shouldered windows to attic floor; eaves course; strip quoins.

N (ALBYN PLACE) ELEVATION: near-symmetrical; single bay; canted window through basement, principal and attic floors, cartouche set in parapet, canted angles to outer left and right with round-arched window breaking eaves to attic of each. Near-octagonal entrance tower to re-entrant angle to right facing NW, doorway to centre of principal floor reached by steps flanked by square-plan piers, windows to basement, with iron balcony oversailing, windows flanking doorway to left and right angles, round-arched link to right return of N elevation; 3 round-arched windows to 1st floor, iron balcony to each, flanked to left by 2 narrow windows, iron balcony at eaves level, truncated octagonal spire with decorative iron brattishing, 3 round-arched dormer windows to attic floor, circular-plan angle turret to left with conical spire surmounted by iron finial.

W (ST SWITHIN STREET) ELEVATION: near-symmetrical; single bay; canted window through basement, principal and attic floors, cartouche set in parapet, canted angles to outer left and right with round-arched window breaking eaves to attic of each. Near-octagonal entrance tower to re-entrant angle to left (see above).

S ELEVATION: obscured by late 20th century addition.

E ELEVATION: not seen 2000.

Variety of timber sash and case windows and casement windows. Grey slate roof with lead ridges. Corniced wallhead stacks with octagonal cans with diamond patterned shafts. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: principal floor predominantly remodelled; staircase removed; some mouldings survive to 1st floor, including decorative mouldings to coved lightwell in hall.

GATEPIERS, RAILINGS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: square-plan gatepiers with pyramidal caps; coped boundary walls.