Aberdeen City HER - NJ90NW0805 - IMPERIAL HOTEL

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Main Details

Primary ReferenceNJ90NW0805
NameIMPERIAL HOTEL
NRHE Card No.NJ90NW1027
NRHE Numlink 149135
HES SM No. NULL
HES LB No. 20619
Site Form Standing Structure
Site Condition Complete 2
Details Hotel designed by James Souttar 1869, with additions by William Henderson 1885. It is a large 3-storey and attic, Gothic style hotel on a triangular site with a central internal well. Built of tooled coursed granite with contrasting ashlar dressings. It has predominantly pointed arched windows to the upper storeys, the others segmental arched. It is partly crenellated with a crenellated round turret to the southwest and a round turret to the north at the apex of the triangle. There are pedimented and semicircular gabled wallhead dormers. The interior retains some original features, including painted glass depicted Scottish and British heraldic symbols. Later named Carmelite Hotel (also known as Grampian Hotel).It was used in World War II as a naval hostel. Watching brief and excavation was carried out by Aberdeen City Council Archaeological Unit in 2005 during redevelopment of the Grampian Hotel. The Grampian Hotel stands in the area between two of the four religious houses in medieval Aberdeen: the Trinitarian (foundation date unknown but certainly in existence by 1273) and the Carmelite founded by 1273. Removal of the old lift revealed well-preserved late prehistoric and medieval deposits in situ. Excavation uncovered a watercourse filled with lenses of gravel and organic layers containing a small number of pottery sherds, suggesting the watercourse had silted up by the late 12th century. The fill also contained two sherds of prehistoric pottery and three flints, presumably washed down stream from somewhere near the excavation site.. Above the silted up stream was an organic layer maximum 0.4m thick which contained wood and twigs but no dateable finds. This may have accumulated over a number of centuries and would suggest that this area was open grassland or a wooded area after the later 12th century.
Last Update25/06/2018
Updated Bycpalmer
CompilerACU
Date of Compilation13/09/2017

Google Map for NJ90NW0805

National Grid Reference: NJ 9418 0607



Event Details

Event DateEvent TypeOASIS ID
2005 Excavation aberdeen3-53489
2005 Watching-Brief

Excavations and Surveys


Artefact and Ecofact

Date MDate YArtefact TypeFinderRecovery MethodConditionStorage LocationAccess No.
 2005 PREHISTORIC POTTERY AAU Excavation  
 2005 FLINTS AAU Excavation  

Ecofact

Samples
Palynology
Ecofact Notes

Monument Types

Monument Type 1Monument Type 2Monument Type 3OrderProbability
TURRETS CRENELLATEDB100
GLASSPAINTED C100
HOSTELSMILITARY D100
POTTERY  F100
FLINTS WORKEDE100
HOTELS  A100