Building record MAB23967 - ROSEMOUNT SQUARE, ABERDEEN

Housing scheme designed by Aberdeen City Architect's Department 1938 and completed by Leo Durnin 1945-6.

Housing scheme designed by Aberdeen City Architect's Department 1938 and completed by Leo Durnin 1945-6. The site was formerly occupied by C and E Morton's Preserved Provision Works which is depicted on the OS 2nd edition map. The company's main trade was overseas: it supplied food for Shackleton's Polar expeditions and was one of the principal suppliers of canned food to the armed forces during the First World War. A memorial tablet to men from the factory killed during the First World War was unveiled at the works on 29 May 1920: it now stands in Trinity Cemetery (NJ90NW1391). The former factory was gutted by fire in July 1937 and subsequently demolished to make way for the building of Rosemount Square. This is the last granite tenement block to be built in Aberdeen, and is decorated with sculpture by T.B. Huxley Jones. Built of tooled coursed grey granite with prefabricated dressings, and concrete balconies to the courtyard elevations. The southeast (Leadside Road) elevation is symmetrical and curved, 11-bay with a round-arched pend leading to the courtyard with a bas-relief sculpture of a woman on horseback (Wind) above. The northeast (South Mount Street) elevation is asymmetrical, 21-bay with 11-bay entrance block stepped up to the north, and a round-arched pend with radial voussoirs leading to the courtyard, and a bas-relief of a woman pouring water (Rain) above. The northwest (Kintore Place) elevation is a symmetrical 15-bay block with a round arched pend leading to the courtyard. The Southwest (Richmond Street) elevation is asymmetrical, 21 bay the 11 bay entrance block stepped up to the north, and again with a round arched pend leading to the courtyard. The courtyard elevations have regularly placed doorways flanked by regular fenestration. Windows are predominantly metal framed casements. The roof is piended of purple grey slate with lead ridges, and grey brick ridge stacks.

Period Notes
Nos 1-13 Listed 23/04/1987.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 22/05/1987 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL, 2013, GRANITE TRAIL ABERDEEN: A GUIDE TO ABERDEEN'S GRANITE INDUSTRY (Bibliographic reference). SAB6472.

Record last edited

Jan 13 2021 12:40PM