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Three early 19th century buildings, designed by John Smith and Archibald Simpson, comprising the former Medico-Chirurgical Hall, County Records Office and a house. The hall was built in 1818-20 with the Records Office added in 1823 and a private house in 1840. Although constructed as three separate buildings it forms a visually coherent unit. There is an advanced pedimented section with asymmetrical flanking units, built of grey granite ashlar to the street elevation, rubble to the rear. To the front are cast-iron decorative railings including stair rail and gates. The Hall (No. 29), depicted on the OS 1st edition map, was designed by Archibald Simpson, 1818-20 for the Medico-Chirurgical Society which had been founded by students in 1789 as the Aberdeen Medical Society 'for their mutual improvement in prosecuting their studies by holding weekly meetings',. The Society sold the hall in 1967, moving to a new hall in Foresterhill in 1973. The hall has a giant tetrastyle Ionic porch with flanking giant Doric pilasters. The former County Records Offices (No 27) designed by John Smith 1822-3, is in two separate but physically linked sections, with recessed 3 bays linked by a flat roofed single storey entrance porch with a round-arched doorway to a balustraded 3-bay building. The townhouse (No.31) is asymmetrical, of 3 bays with steps oversailing the basement to the entrance. It was built as a private residence for the advocate and Lord Provost of Aberdeen, John Webster. From 1956 to 1968 it was used as a children's theatre, but still retains a good proportion of its original room plan. A plaque on the wall of No. 31 commemorates Catherine Hollingworth (1904-1999), child drama pioneer, speech therapist and founder of Aberdeen Municipal Children's Theatre which she directed in this building 1956-1968.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Aberdeen City
HER -
NJ90NW0566 - 27-31 KING STREET, ABERDEEN