Description

George Roberts and Son, 1870-75. Massive four and five storeys Italianate tenement (incorporating former hotel) turning corner with bow range. Polished cream sandstone ashlar facades; base course, unified cornice above ground floor; moulded architrave to first and second floor windows with moulded architraves and cill courses; first floor windows with cornices and plain tablet friezes; band course above second floor; third floor windows with plain architraves; bracketed cills; heavy corbelled cornice concealing guttering.

East (Commercial Wharf) elevation: four storeys and attic, eight bays; six central bays irregularly grouped in pairs with single windows at ground, door to centre right bay. Projecting end bays with raised cornice; tripartite windows to each floor, ashlar mullions, plain architraves; upper floors recessed between pilaster strips, band courses between floors; third floor lights round-headed with keystones. Box-dormer to inner left, skylights. Blank rubble return to south.

North (Commercial Street) elevation: four storeys and attic, 22 bays. At ground, two-bay shops with two-leaf panelled doors and two-pane plate glass window in roll-moulded frames, and four-leaf panelled tenement doors large rectangular fanlight and glazed doors beyond, all below unified cornice. Upper floors recessed between two-bay end pavilions; grouped from left as bay with tenement door, ten bays with five shops, bay with tenement door, six bays with three shops; pavilions with key-stoned round-headed windows at third floor and raised cornices. Decorative extended cast iron balcony between pavilions at first floor. Six segmental- headed dormers behind parapet.

Northwest (Sandport Street) elevation: two distinct phases; four-storey and attic, ten-bay north (earlier) range and five-storey and attic 12-bay south range fitted into same height; unified by shops, tenement doors and cornice at ground, and continuous cornice above top floor. Shops similar to above but with four-pane windows, single tenement doors.

North range: with three-bay curved corner to Commercial Street, bay with paired windows to right; large tenement door (as above) to centre bay, shops to remaining bays; three dormers and skylight. Six bays to right with mansard roof and box-dormers, outer bays bipartite; four shops at ground and tenement door at centre; first floor windows with cornices removed.

South range: at ground, four pairs of shops with two tenement doors between. Upper floors with no ornamentation except continuation of moulded cill course to first floor; nine north bays grouped in threes with closet windows at centre; three further bays to right; mansard roof with box dormers. Blocked doorcase with pilasters and pediment to right all that remains of further demolished range.

Rear elevations: coursed rubble, raised wallhead accommodating attic storey (apart from east end of Commercial Street range). Rear of Sandport Street notched, apparently to take bows of old graving dock, now filled-in.

Timber sash and case windows; plate glass with four-pane to single windows of northwest elevation. Grey slates, corniced ashlar stacks.

Interior: Commercial Street with fine open scale and platt common stairs; turned and blocked mahogany balusters and panelled posts. Flats not seen 1993.

Statement of Interest

Formerly contained the Commercial Hotel.

Statutory address revised in 2018. Previously listed as '1-12 (Inclusive nos) Commercial Street and 26-43 (Inclusive nos) Sandport Street (and Commercial Wharf); EH6 6JA and EH6 6EP respectively'.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17806218

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)