Location
Evan Street / Cameron Street, Stonehaven.
Stonehaven, Kincardine
Date
1936
Description
Colonel Tawse and Messrs Hall, 1936; renovated 1999-2000 by Hall and Tawse. Tall single storey and basement, 3-bay, piend-roofed, Art Deco restaurant with bowed concrete-pillared loggia/verandah and bowed front comprising Art Deco glazing to large windows combining vertical and horizontal patterning with Deco symbols, set on terrace above period garden. Banded brick and reinforced concrete. S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical. Double stair leading to loggia with Art Deco metalwork balustrade railing, centre bay of set-back face with large bow comprising narrow-centre 5-part full-height window with decoratively-astragalled top-lights, similarly-detailed 4-part windows to outer bays with outer lights as doors. W ELEVATION: tall piended bay at centre with tall raised-centre 5-light window, flat-roofed loggia to right with later infill glazing, and lower piended bay to left with symmetrical glazing. N (EVAN STREET) ELEVATION: listed separately as Art-deco Shops 26 to 32 Evan Street. Metal framed windows with decoratively-astragalled glazing patterns to S combining vertical and horizontal patterning with Deco symbols; largely multi-pane glazing elsewhere. Grey slates. INTERIOR: fine Art Deco interior comprising main apartment with vaulted ceiling, horizontal panelled walls incorporating some decorative metalwork panels, and counter with clock incorporated behind; E end wall with Art Deco engraved 'Picasso glass' mirror and tall curved mirrored supports (with lights?). Original light fittings. Toilets with original decorative floor and wall tiles and fittings. Wood floors reclaimed from Aberdeen College of Commerce. Top-lit link corridor leading to N entrance (Evan Street). TERRACED GARDEN, BOUNDARY WALLS, GATEPIERS AND GATES: rubble and brick terracing to ornamental garden, garden walls to street with period gate- and end-piers, ironwork archway incorporating name 'CARRON RESTAURANT' and boldly detailed wrought-iron gates.
Related Information
This unique Art Deco building has survived due to extensive and careful renovation. It is a fine example of Stonehaven's 1930s architecture, together with the Open Air Swimming Pool, during its heyday as a popular seaside resort. The interior detailing has been accurately restored using old photographs, to the extent of producing replica bowed back chairs. The elegant 'Picasso glass' mirror was insured by previous owner for £150,000. Built by the Northern Co-Operative Society, the Tea Rooms were closed in 1968 and subsequently used as a store. The adjoining shops to the rear (north), facing Evan Street, continued as Spar grocery stores until the late 1980s. It was during this time that McKean wrote "a peculiarity of tearooms was that they were often attached to shops and thus had little architectural personality of their own". However, he continues "The Carron Tearoom in Stonehaven, pushed out into the garden as a rear extension of the Co-op, is a rare example in unused but good state of survival: bulbous brick bow, Art Deco glass and metal work, and a terrace. (it) has the finest Art Deco patterned glazing surviving (precariously) in Scotland." Purchased by the current (2006) owner in 1999, the restaurant has been restored and returned to almost original condition. Carron House situated to the NW has been converted from the former loading bay. The whole series of buildings are a magnificent Art-Deco art work.
For interior photographs see the restraunt website. The internal features in the restaurant are worth the price of a meal just to have the time to really appreciate them! Visit the toilets as well! The long corridor from Evan Street down to the main function room has a large collection of photos worth a look.
Era
1900s
Information Source
Http://www.carron-restaurant.co.uk/carron/history, Stonehaven Heritage Society and Historic Scotland Listed building report
Related Artefacts
Categories
Creator
- Colonel Tawse and Messrs Hall, Architect
External Links
Photographer
- Martin Sim
Unavailable Data
- OS Map Reference
- Iconography
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