Latitude: 55.9749 / 55°58'29"N
Longitude: -3.1666 / 3°9'59"W
OS Eastings: 327291
OS Northings: 676382
OS Grid: NT272763
Mapcode National: GBR 8V5.2N
Mapcode Global: WH6SM.B2BW
Plus Code: 9C7RXRFM+X9
Entry Name: Exchange Buildings, 43 Constitution Street, Edinburgh
Listing Name: 37-43 (Odd Nos) Constitution Street and 49 Assembly Street, Exchange Buildings
Listing Date: 14 December 1970
Category: A
Source: Historic Scotland
Source ID: 364162
Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB27147
Building Class: Cultural
Also known as: Edinburgh, 43 Constitution Street, Exchange Buildings
ID on this website: 200364162
Location: Edinburgh
County: Edinburgh
Town: Edinburgh
Electoral Ward: Leith
Traditional County: Midlothian
Tagged with: Architectural structure
TB (Thomas Brown ?), 1809-10; earlier Assembly Rooms, 1783. Large 3-storey 13-bay classical exchange buildings, Assembly Rooms to N. Cream sandstone, polished ashlar basement, tooled ashlar above with polished dressings to front and N elevation, stugged ashlar to N; Assembly Rooms coursed and squared rubble with polished ashlar dressings to NW, coursed rubble to SE. Base course; rusticated ground floor with impost course; band course above ground floor; cill course at 1st floor; band cill course at 2nd floor; eaves cornice with blocking course; segmental-arched tripartite doorways with Doric columns and segmental-arched fanlights (No 37 with radial astragals); round-arched windows at ground floor flanking doorways set in recessed round-arched ashlar panels; smaller rectangular windows at 2nd floor.
NW (CONSTITUTION STREET) ELEVATION: 3 centre bays advanced at ground floor, doorway to centre with windows flanking; giant Ionic columns carrying blank frieze and pediment with clock; at 1st floor tripartite window at centre with segmental-arched ashlar fanlight and apron of blind balustrade, 2 single windows under ashlar panels with gilded inscription 'Exchange Buildings' flanking. 2 bays to left with secondary doorway to left and single windows to remaining bays. 2 bays to right of centre bays with single windows. Slightly advanced 3-bay end pavilions with advanced centre bay bearing tablet and doorway at ground floor; architraved, consoled and pedimented window at 1st floor. Single windows to outer bays, at 1st floor architraved, consoled and corniced.
NE (ASSEMBLY STREET) ELEVATION: single bay return of Constitution Street building detailed as pavilions with single windows. 5-bay 2-storey former Assembly Rooms (1783) to left; 3-bay hall with tall single windows adjoining Exchange Buildings; 2 slightly advanced quoined bays to left with plain doorway to right, rectangular fanlight with radial astragals, single window at 1st floor above; single windows to left bay.
SE (REAR) ELEVATION: single windows to earlier Assembly Rooms. Exchange buildings with projections and additions.
SW ELEVATION: 3-bay; band course above ground floor; single windows at ground floor, some with relieving arches. Gabled centre bay slightly advanced with skewline taken into corniced apex stack, at 1st floor tall tripartite window with broad panelled mullions and recessed ashlar aprons, round-arched fanlight (now blocked/relieving arch over (?); ashlar panel above. Single windows to outer bays
(blocked at 2nd floor).
Timber sash and case windows, mostly 12-pane or multi-pane glazing. Lead roof with metal flashings; 1 apex stack (see above), wallhead and transverse stacks.
INTERIOR: large ballroom (No 43) much altered; Adamesque plaster ceiling of earlier Assembly rooms now obscured by false ceiling.
The exchange buildings were built by subscription as a meeting place for merchants, they included reading rooms, assembly rooms and a post office. Group with Nos 2-18, 1-31 Bernard Street, 29-35 Constitution Street and Robert Burns Statue.
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