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Summary

Description

W T Oldrieve, dated 1909, 2-storey, 8-bay grouped 4-4, 17th century style post office with Scottish 17th century detailing. Rectangular plan with 4 bays to S slightly advanced with gable above to give L-plan appearance. Grey bull- faced, squared and snecked rubble with yellow sandstone ashlar dressings. Granite base course, intermittent moulded cornice at 1st floor level. Crowstepped gables, pedimented dormers breaking eaves.

E (ALBANY STREET) ELEVATION: asymmetrical, 8 bays grouped 4-4. Right hand 4-bay section symmetrical, ground floor, central door flanked by

4 roll-moulded, transomed windows set in sandstone ashlar panel extending from granite base course to corbel at 1st floor level. 1st floor, pedimented dormer windows breaking eaves. Pediments, open at apex, flanked by engaged finials and surmounted with small obelisks.

Left hand 4-bay section asymmetrical, gabled above bays 1-3. Gablet at right angles to E elevation in bay 4 giving appearance of re-entrant stair tower. Ground floor, bay 1 roll-moulded window surround with corbelled cornice over. Metal posting boxes below set in raised section of granite base course, with string course at top. Mullioned and transomed quadripartite window with segmental-arched upper lights, roll moulding around and string course below. Entrance door in bay 4, architraved, open scrolled pediment above with engaged finials, superimposed on carved panel flanked by fluted pilasters with pediment over. 1st floor window in bay 4 architraved, with corbelled cill and cornice over. Windows in bays 1-3 with chamfered margins,

superimposed cill and cornice over with carved strapwork above. Framed, armorial panel bearing date 1909 between bays 3 and 4.

N ELEVATION: crowstepped gable end wall, central chimney stack accented with strip pilaster extended down to 1st floor level and corbelled. Slit windows at 1st floor, 1 to outer right

and 2 flanking stack.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: asymmetrical, wide rectangular stair tower to centre with chamfered corners and corbelled parapet. Crowstepped gable to right of stair tower with corbelled chimney decoration corresponding to N gable. Pedimented dormers breaking eaves at 1st floor bays 1 and 2, bipartite windows to stair tower and gable.

All window frames of timber. E elevation ground floor windows, bay

1 decorative timber clock mounting with plate glass around, quadripartite window with 6-pane upper sashes and plate glass

lowers. Bays 5-8 with 6-pane upper sashes and plate glass lowers.

1st floor bays 1-4 multi-pane casement windows with fixed lights above, bays 5-8 20-pane sash and case windows.

Multi-pane sash and case windows to rear and side elevations. Grey slated roof, bell-cast eaves with decorative exposed rafter ends. Cast-iron gutters and downpipes. Grey granite gateposts, matching base course, at N end of E elevation with pyramidal caps.

Statement of Special Interest

The design of this building has striking similarities to the post office in Lerwick (1910) by W T Oldrieve of the Board of Works, assisted by A R Myres, hence a confident attribution has been made. These include composition of the street frontage with gabled end bays and ashlar section to ground floor section, as well as identical dormerhead and eaves detailing. This is a good quality building in a sparse part of town.

References

Bibliography

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