Historical Background
Outseats House was originally built as a coaching house in approximately 1760. We presently have no other information about the house at that time, except that Alexander Robertson was resident. As a coaching house, early large scale maps (Keith & Gibbs Map of the Cities of Aberdeen, 1862) confirm the shape of the house, and that it was then smaller than the present day building. The main entrance could then have been to the north in what is now Allenvale Road, rather than to the south, as it now is. The stabling area could also have been to the North, on the site of the present garages in Allenvale Road. The cottage on Hardgate would originally have fronted onto Hardgate rather than into Outseats courtyard, which explains why, in the early census returns (1841, 1851 and 1861) the entries for the cottages are not in adjacent entries to Outseats House. In fact, they appear in different enumeration districts. By 1869 (Ordnance survey 1:2500, 1869) the building had been extended to the North and possibly extensively remodelled internally. The main entrance to the house appears to have been to the south side, as now, although it appears that access to the house could still have been from the North, via a path from Allenvale Road along the east side of the house The house was not built in line with any road, but it appears that it was designed so that the main bedrooms could enjoy the view across the field to the River Dee, with the Old Dee Bridge in the distance.
Originally Outseats as well as gardens occupying the site of the present courtyard, and a coach yard on the site of the garages in Allenvale Road, had policies extending virtually down to the river Dee. Unfortunately these were later sold and Allenvale Gardens was eventually built on the area. Prior to this, the view of the river would already have been lost, when Riverside Drive and its houses were built between Outseats and the river.
Page last updated Monday, 10 October 2005