Hostel, Dun Aluinn, Alma Avenue, Aberfeldy

This is a hostel, constructed in 1909 by Sidney Mitchell & Wilson, and later extended to the rear. It is a two-story, three-bay, rectangular building designed in the Queen Anne style, accompanied by a lower, two-story service wing and a small courtyard. The building retains good interior detail and features terrace walls.

The exterior is built from squared and snecked chlorite-slate rubble, with contrasting red sandstone ashlar dressings. A prominent feature is the stone mullioned windows, some with pediments and aprons.

The south (principal) elevation has a central bay at ground level featuring a keystoned, corniced, and architraved doorpiece, above which is a dated moulded tablet with flanking scrollwork. A stepped approach leads to a deep-set, architraved panelled timber door with a decorative astragalled fanlight, alongside a window with a moulded apron. There are two windows at the first floor level. A gabled bay to the left has a square-plan five-light window at ground level, transitioning to a stone balustrade (later incorporating a fire escape) and two widely-spaced windows above. Above the window is an open pediment containing a keystoned glazed oculus within the gablehead. A lower bay to the right includes a bipartite window at ground level and two windows at the first floor.

The west elevation has a flat-roofed extension obscuring the ground floor centre and right. A canted window with a stone balustrade is located on the left. The first floor features a pedimented window in an open-pedimented gablehead to the right, a wide centre tripartite window, and a single window to the left.

The north elevation presents an asymmetrical arrangement of features, including a panelled timber door with a Latin inscription to the left and a square-plan five-light window with a stone balustrade to the centre at ground level.

The east (rear) elevation includes a low, piended bay projecting off-centre to the left, featuring boarded timber doors at ground level and a small oriel window above. A similar door and dormerheaded window extend to the left, connecting to a shaped courtyard wall on the right. There’s an asymmetrical M-gable behind, and a later gabled bay to the right.

The windows are timber sash and case style, with grey slates covering the roof. The building is equipped with cavetto-coped stacks with matching cans.

The interior retains plain and decorative cornicing, brass sash lifts, carved and moulded timber fire surrounds, panelled shutters, and some boarded dadoes. A mosaic-tiled vestibule has a screen door with margined glazing, and a top-lit staircase with square timber newels, a handrail, and decorative ironwork balusters. A first-floor bedroom features a timber fire surround, an overmantel with an inset mirror, a cast-iron fire basket, and glazed tiles depicting nursery scenes.

Fine, flat-coped, decorative terrace walls are bordered by low, square-plan piers.