Description

Peddie & Kinnear, dated 1861, frieze carving John Rhind. 2-storey corner office block with engaged octagonal entrance tower and Renaissance details, large rectangular-plan hall to N. Cream sandstone, polished ashlar with squared and snecked stugged rubble to rear and side. Base course; carved frieze of vine leaves and corbelled string course above ground floor; frieze of scrolled vine leaves to deep modillioned eaves cornice; windows in recessed panels; ground floor openings with moulded stilted segmental arches and impost course, ornamental iron grilles to aprons; 1st floor windows with moulded round-arched heads and impost course.

ENTRANCE TOWER: engaged octagonal 3-stage entrance tower; 1st and 2nd stage detailed as above with doorway to centre, 2-leaf panelled door and plate glass fanlight, consoled cornice blank arches to outer bays. Top stage with round-arched bipartite windows with foliate capitals set in recessed rectangular panels to 4 sides; paterae frieze and bracketted eaves cornice; classical octagonal domed metal roof with wallhead stack to rear and octagonal domed bellcote with round-arched openings and ornate weathervane.

NW (CONSTITUTION STREET) ELEVATION: 4-bay office block to right with arcaded openings, secondary doorway to outer right. 5-bay hall to left with carved frieze (John Rhind) of putti in grain-related activities and eaves cornice; moulded, round-arched and keystoned openings. Centre bay with tall doorway with elongated fanlight; 2 bays to right with tall windows with bracketted cills; 2 bays to left with large rectangular architraved and corniced doorways with boarded doors and small semi-circular fanlights above cornice, cast-iron pal stones.

S (BALTIC STREET) ELEVATION: 7-bay (excluding corner tower) with arcaded openings; secondary doorways with 2-pane fanlights to outer right and centre bays. Single storey screen wall to outer right with

2 segmental arches, to right blocked with blank segmental-arched panel.

W ELEVATION: blank with blocked windows to left and broad rendered wallhead stack to office block.

4-pane timber sash and case arched windows. Slate roof with metal flashings to office block; felt roof to hall. 2 wallhead stacks (see above), apex stack to gable end of hall, large transverse stack.

INTERIOR: vestibule and stair hall with red and white marble floor and dado; newel posts with timber lighthouses as lamps; 2 windows flanking doorway with non-figurative stained glass (circa 1900); ground floor toilets with original tiling; large skylight to round offices at 1st floor. Exchange hall to rear blind round arches to side bays and semi-circular gable elevations; roof supported by arched timber braces with pierced and carved spandrels painted gold, red and blue.

Statement of Interest

Group with 37-43 Constitution Street, 2-18, 1-31 Bernard Street and Robert Burns Statue.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Corn Exchange, 29, 31, 33, 35 Constitution Street, Leith, Edinburgh at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17570372

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)
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  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
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  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
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  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)