Rubislaw House, 50 Queens Road, Aberdeen, AB15

A truly magnificent A Listed home in the heart of the West End.

Description

The original Rubislaw House, formerly the mansion house of the Rubislaw Estate, was demolished in 1886 as it stood out of alignment with the new Queens Road. Number 50 (the current Rubislaw House) was then built for John Morgan, an Aberdeen builder and master mason who specialised in high quality granite cutting and carving and built many of Aberdeen’s great granite buildings including much of Queen’s Road itself along with the local church, Canada House, the Northern Assurance building, St Ninian’s Church and Marischal College. The dated lintel and steps to the southwest of the house seen today originate from the first Rubislaw House.

John Pirie and Arthur Clyne were the architects of Rubislaw House and both monograms can been seen on a buttress. The building represents not only the domestic high point of Pirie and Clyne’s careers, but also that of the granite carving trade in Aberdeen. Elements such as the oversized angle turret and oriel windows were from Pirie and Clyne’s earlier designs and the house is largely Gothic in inspiration, however many of their familiar decorative motifs were abandoned in favour of a bold mixture of ecclesiastical and proto-Art Nouveau details. In December 1959 the property was turned into three apartments and remained in that configuration until 2010 when the whole building was bought by the current owner to become his family home. The refurbishment was a labour of love, with much time, expertise and expense lavished on the building to create the stunning home of today.

Internally this stunning home has a very fine and distinctive interior, with the stature and style immediately clear from the entrance. A feature pink granite slab leads to the pointed arched decoratively moulded and chamfered door piece. A shouldered doorway is set back with pierced pink granite quatrefoil and polished pink granite spheres. Other architectural gems include scrolled corbels, oversized pierced and ablated buttress, round arched windows, chamfered decorative mouldings and a conical roof piece with fishscale slates. There are deep skirting boards, panelled doors and architraves and highly decorative cornices with vine and grape and floriate pattern mouldings, picture rails, ceiling roses and chunky column radiators and Tudor-style arched recesses.

The entrance hallway is panelled below dado level and has a striking timber rib vaulted ceiling. A cloakroom has a fine tiled shower cubicle with original bathroom furniture. Central to the reception hallway is an oversized polished pink granite column. The delightful drawing room has twin aspect windows, fireplace and dual access to the hallway and garden room. This relaxing and comfortable space offers an abundance of window seating and a wood burning stove. The elegant bow-windowed dining room has a highly decorative ceiling and overlooks the rear of the property with a beautiful five pane curved window. The fireplace is flanked by two port hole windows beyond the arched shaped mouldings. At the heart of this home is the dining kitchen. Here there is a comprehensive range of hand crafted base, drawer and wall cabinets and island with butcher’s block, complemented by polished granite worksurfaces. A focal point is the cream gas AGA and module unit. Windows provide an aspect over the front courtyard and a patio door with windows on either side opens into the rear garden. For everyday domestic tasks there is a utility room with horseshoe shaped window, plumbing for a washing machine, space for a tumble dryer and a garden door. A turned staircase leads to the landing. Off here a front and rear bedroom are serviced by a modern shower room with WC, wash basin and oversized shower enclosure housing a mains shower. The layout of this rear wing would be ideal if self-contained multi-generational living space was required, as it has its own external access. Ascending to the first floor is the staircase with distinctively turned balusters and decorative newel posts. The landing showcases the extraordinary stained glass windows which are dominant throughout the property and reflect the style of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Two front aspect bedrooms both have great character: one with a corner turret and the other with curved window and stunning carved fireplace. The fireplace is flanked by stained glass windows featuring a lovely owl motif. The two bedrooms are serviced by the main bathroom which is in a more contemporary style and includes a corner bath and over-sized curved shower enclosure along with WC and wash basin and tiling to dado height. In addition, there is a cloakroom with high level WC and wash hand basin. The former bow windowed library is now the exquisite principal bedroom suite. The five curved windows have fine stained glass windows. With ornate ceiling and mouldings the stunning fireplace can be concealed with thick velvet drapes. A secret door connects to the spacious en suite which features a freestanding roll top bath and separate shower enclosure, WC and wash hand basin.

The second floor continues with an abundance of character with seven curved stained glass windows. The opposite end of the landing has space for four further stained glass windows which are available, but not in place. There are two front facing bedrooms, one with a parapet. The third bedroom overlooks the rear with a horseshoe-shaped window. Completing this floor, in more traditional style is a further bathroom. This rooms features a freestanding claw foot bath, separate shower enclosure and WC along with a wash basin set in a vanity stand.

Reinstated railings and driveway gates are finished in a fan and sunflower design. Electricity is supplied to the gates, but not currently activated. A gravel driveway provides parking and turning for numerous vehicles. An enclosed side courtyard has two stone coal cellars. There is a lean to with power and a stone shed which would be ideal as a workshop. The rear aspect of the property is particularly attractive with the continuation of the pare pointing and bowed windows. The rear garden consists of a central footpath with lawns either side and features a fully operational polished granite fountain. The original coachman’s quarters are in redbrick and have a staircase to the hayloft which provides further storage space.

A detached garage has an electric door and personnel door and is fitted with power, water and light. There is an additional double garage roofed with dressed slates constructed in 2014.

Location

Located on the northeast coast, Aberdeenshire is one of Scotland’s largest and most diverse counties and extends from the North Sea coastline inland to the Cairngorm mountains which rise majestically to the west. Rubislaw House lies west of Aberdeen city, nestled in one of the city’s most exclusive neighbourhoods. Rich in historic castles and boasting fertile farmland, the Aberdeenshire area is renowned for producing the malting barley which supplies the many whisky distilleries in the region.

Deeside, through which the River Dee flows, attracts visitors from far and wide. Balmoral Castle has been the Scottish home of the Royal Family since it was purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852. There is a wealth of sport on offer for which Scotland is famed: salmon fishing on the rivers Dee, Don and Deveron, pheasant and partridge shooting on many of the low ground estates, red and roe deer stalking and the opportunity for grouse on the rolling heath hills. The area boasts numerous golf courses. To the east lie Royal Aberdeen and Trump International, both well regarded links course.

The Cairngorms National Park known as a stronghold for many rare and endangered species of flora and fauna is situated some 53 miles to the west of the property and offers a wide range of outdoor activities including hill walking, skiing, mountain biking and wildlife spotting. The steeper mountains at The Lecht (49 miles), Glenshee (60 miles) and Aviemore (91 miles) offer skiing when winter conditions are suitable and endless walking challenges throughout the year.

The "Energy Capital of Europe" and a vibrant hub for many years, the city of Aberdeen is home to two universities: Aberdeen University and Robert Gordon University. Cultural facilities include a recently extended and refurbished art gallery, the Maritime Museum, a concert hall and theatre. P & J Live is the northeast of Scotland main arts and events venue, boasting world-class conference and exhibition facilities along with a superior 15,000 capacity arena. Aberdeen Beach can be found a short distance from Aberdeen city centre and the area is also where Pittodrie Stadium is located, which is home to Aberdeen Football Club, affectionally known as The Dons. The new AWPR bypass ensures easy access to the north and south of the city. Aberdeen International Airport is 6 miles away and there is a mainline east coast train service with frequent journeys to London King’s Cross and rail links further north to Inverness and south to Gleneagles and Edinburgh. Private schools include Robert Gordon’s College, Albyn School, St Margaret’s (girls) and the International School of Aberdeen (2 miles). Gordonstoun (70 miles) is a co-educational private school for boarding and day pupils for children between the ages of 8-18.

Hill of Rubislaw Business Park (1 mile)
ABZ Business Park (5.5 miles)
Prime Four Business park (3.8 miles)
Aberdeen International Airport (6 miles)*
*Please note all distances are approximate and from google maps.

Square Footage: 5,554 sq ft



Additional Info

Services: Mains electricity, water and drainage. Gas central heating. Underfloor heating in the garden room, first floor bathroom and principal bedroom en suite. Externally lighting is both sensor and timed.

Miscellaneous: Category A Listed. Conservation Area. The "A" listing is not as per normal in these cases for the frontal elevation but unusually for the rear elevation. The rear of the house is built from dressed stone with various architectural features which would not look out of place were it to be forward facing and it is this unusual element of the design which has afforded it "A" listing status.
There are a number of original documents and photographs of the property archived in Historic Scotland in Edinburgh with various aspects of the property.

Fixtures & Fittings: Standard fixtures and fittings are included in the sale.

Servitude rights, burdens and wayleaves: The property is sold subject to and with the benefit of all servitude rights, burdens, reservations and wayleaves, including rights of access and rights of way, whether public or private, light, support, drainage, water and wayleaves for masts, pylons, stays, cable, drains and water, gas and other pipes, whether contained in the Title Deeds or informally constituted and whether referred to in the General Remarks and Stipulations or not. The Purchaser(s) will be held to have satisfied himself as to the nature of all such servitude rights and others.

Possession: Vacant possession and entry will be given on completion.

Offers: Offers, in Scottish legal form, must be submitted by your solicitor to the Selling Agents. It is intended to set a closing date but the seller reserves the right to negotiate a sale with a single party. All genuinely interested parties are advised to instruct their solicitor to note their interest with the Selling Agents immediately after inspection.

Deposit: A deposit of 10% of the purchase price may be required. It will be paid within 7 days of the conclusion of Missives. The deposit will be non-returnable in the event of the Purchaser(s) failing to complete the sale for reasons not attributable to the seller or his agents.