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Basic Site Details

Name: Head Post Office
City or county: Aberdeen
Country: Scotland
Parish:  
Status: B listed
Grid ref:
Notes: ABERDEEN.—The new post-office will be opened on Monday next. The building, which rises three stories above the street level, covers an area of 2,582 superficial yards, and has a frontage to both Crown-street and Dee-street. The public office, has a floor area of 2,000 superficial feet and a ceiling 20ft. high. The walls are lined with marble to a height of 9 feet, the floor is of mosaic, the woodwork of wainscot, and the ceiling panelled. The public counter forms three sides of a square, and has a total length of 84ft. The top floor of the Crown-street block contains a telegraph school, telephone-room, mechanics' room, etc. The whole area of the street floor between the Crown-street and Dee-street blocks is taken up by the letter and parcel sorting office. Upon the first floor of the centre connecting block the medical officer, pay officers, telegraph engineers, ete, are accommodated, while the top floor is occupied by the telegraph instrument room. The street floor of the Dee-street block contains the telegraph delivery-room and bicycle room, also a retiring- room for postmen. Two staircases, with entry from Dee-street, give access to the first and second floors, on the former of which are placed the staff dining- and serving rooms. The second floor is almost exclusively given over to the Great Northern Telegraph Co. A basement extends under the whole area of the buildings. The whole structure is built on fire resisting principles. Both street fronts are faced with Kenmey granite. The buildings, though only three stories high, attain a general height, to the top of the parapet, of 58 feet above the street level, while gables and turrets rise still higher, and show a broken skyline. Architecturally, the design is in the spirit of the Scottish Baronial. The building was designed in H.M. Office of Works, under the direction of Mr W W Robertson, late HM Principal Architect for Scotland : but the plans were carried out by Mr W T Oldrieve, FSI, HM Principal Architect for Scotland. The cost has been over £50,000. Mr J Reid acted as clerk of works, and the general contractors were Messrs Peter Bisset and Sons, Aberdeen. [Building News 5 April 1907 p483]

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
 ClassificationOriginal classification?Notes
Item 1 of 1Post office  

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:
 AddressMain entrance?Notes
Item 1 of 224-28, Crown StreetYes 
Item 2 of 221-29, Dee StreetYes 

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
 FromToEvent typeNotes
Item 1 of 219041907Build/construction 
Item 2 of 2c. 1999 Alteration/conversionConversion to flats

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
 NameRolePartnership GroupFromToNotes
Item 1 of 6James Cumming WynnesArchitectA19041907As assistant to Oldrieve in H M Office of Works
Item 2 of 6Walter Wood RobertsonArchitectA1904 * As Architect for Scotland in H M Office of Works (completed under William Thomas Oldrieve after he succeeded Robertson)
Item 3 of 6William Thomas Oldrieve (sometimes William Thomas Oldgrieve)ArchitectA19041907As Architect for Scotland in H M Office of Works (succeeded Walter Wood Robertson)
Item 4 of 6Charles Ernest JacksonArchitectA19051907As assistant to Oldrieve in H M Office of Works
Item 5 of 6H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)Architectural practiceA1907 With Oldrieve as Architect for Scotland in H M Office of Works
Item 6 of 6Maclachlan Monaghan Architectural practiceGc. 1999 Conversion to flats

* earliest date known from documented sources.

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2Post Office Directories    Aberdeen directory 1907-08
Item 2 of 2Sharples, J, Walker, D W and Woodworth, M2015The Buildings of Scotland: Aberdeenshire South and Aberdeen London and New Haven: Yale University Pressp164

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 6Aberdeen Daily Journal6 April 1907   
Item 2 of 6Architect15 December 1906  p699
Item 3 of 6Architect19 April 1907  p256
Item 4 of 6Builder10 November 1900  p424
Item 5 of 6Builder13 April 1907  pp454-455
Item 6 of 6Building News5 April 1907  p483

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
 SourceArchive nameSource catalogue no.Notes
Item 1 of 5British Postal Museum and ArchiveArchival material Ref POST 32/118-119 and POST 118/6194-6197.
Item 2 of 5Historic Environment ScotlandListed Buildings Register19987 
Item 3 of 5National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMSNMRS Architects Index  
Item 4 of 5RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers Charles Ernest Jackson: L v24 no1986; Walter Wood Robertson: F v18 p9 no1179 (microfilm reel 12); James Cumming Wynnes: L v9 no516 (microfilm reel 32)
Item 5 of 5Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of ScotlandCanmore ID 148731 

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