Coates Hall (Scottish Episcopal Church Theological College), Rosebery Crescent, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Description

David Bryce, 1850 (original Coates Hall); additions and alterations (including a spired octagon to the NE turret of the Hall, expansion to the N, the chapel and the moving of Bryce's porch from the E to the S elevation) Sydney Mitchell, 1892; additions and alterations, Sir Robert Lorimer 1913 (extra storey, bell roofs to raised pepperpots) and 1922 (extension of chapel). 2-storey basement and attic essentially rectangular-plan former mansion reconstructed as college with Gothic chapel. Squared and snecked rubble (southern block in darker stone than subsequent additions to N) with long and short surrounds and chamfered jambs; quoins to all elevations except S. Crowstepped gables; ogee roofs to 2-storey corbelled angle turrets at 4-storey S elevation; pedimented dormers and turret, octagonal at upper stories, with polygonal roof to E elevation.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 3-bay, with double gable; string course between lowest and ground and between ground and 1st floors. Engaged, corbelled, conical-roofed turret to bay to centre, rising 2 floors from ground level; window to bay to left at lowest floor; pair of widely spaced small windows to bay to right; large window to outer bays at ground; small window to outer bays at 1st and 2nd floors; narrow centred lights to each floor of central turret and to each gablehead. Single storey double-pitch chapel adjoining to right at ground floor; advanced portal with skewed gable to outer left of chapel; lugged, moulded margins to doorway, with square plaque above containing bishop's mitre and crozier; narrow light to return of portal at left; roof extended to form 2-bay lean-to addition to right of portal; buttress to left, pair of ogee windows to right; large bipartite window with cusped and ogee tracery to left of main body of chapel; small ogee light to right.

E (SIDE) ELEVATION: gabled chapel end bay with hood-mould to four-centred arch window containing ogee tracery; cill course to 3 windows to return at right; ogee window at left; pair of traceried bipartites at right. Advanced gabled bay with gablehead stack at outer left, above far end of chapel; single light to advanced bay to left at basement; large, leaded, transomed and mullioned 6-pane light above; centred light to 1st floor above and to gable; screen wall with large rectangular opening to bay to right at basement; timber door with windows flanking at left to bays behind; centred windows to 2 floors above, uppermost with triangular, finialled pediment; tripartite dormer behind pediment; turret at right, with narrow lights; octagonal at top with round-arched openings; ball and cross finial to polygonal roof. Advanced 4-bay central section (in lighter stone, marking division in phases of building); string course, raised above windows, to 1st floor: windows to all floors of return at left; single light to basement of bay at left; plain plaque to floor above; bipartite window at 2nd floor level; window with semi-circular pediment to gable with gablehead stack above; piend-roofed 2-storey advanced bay to penultimate bay to left, with bipartite and small light at right to basement; tripartite to floor above; single window above roof of advanced bay; semicircular pediment with ogee tip to large dormer window; no basement to 2 bays at right; window to ground and 1st floors, semicircular pediment with ogee tip to large dormer window above; advanced single storey piend-roofed bay to ground at right, with cill course and tripartite window; bipartite window above; single window with semicircular pediment to gable. Recessed double-gabled section at outer right; advanced single storey L-plan section to left at ground, with narrow light to outer left and window to left; bipartite window to 1st floor above; window to return at left; centred window to gable; arrow-slit to gable with gablehead stack to return; base course to bay to outer right; steps up to 2-leaf timber door with shouldered fanlight; small light at right; window to left to floor above; centred window to gable.

N ELEVATION: 2 entrance doors with flanking windows at basement; window to right; irregular fenestration to upper floors at left; centred window to gable to bay to left; broken triangular pediment to dormer to centre; shouldered wallhead stack to right.

W ELEVATION: advanced gabled bays at left; piend-roofed advanced 2-storey bay to bay at outer left; bipartite window above; window to gablehead; windows and dormer with broken triangular pediment to return; window to right at ground and 1st floors, penultimate bay to left; centred window to gable; gablehead stack set to left; advanced 2-storey bay with tripartite windows at each floor to return. 6-bay recessed central section: 2 bays at left gabled, with window to each floor, with additional window at upper floor bay to right; 3 bays in centre irregularly fenestrated with dormers; gabled bay at outer right regularly fenestrated, with bipartite at lowest level; windows to return to advanced 3-bay section at right, with linking covered staircase descending to harled modern addition (kitchens), with banded glazing. 3-bay section at right (in darker stone, marking different stage of building): tall window to each bay at ground floor; regular fenestration to all bays above; bay at left gabled, with gablehead stack; dormers with finialled triangular pediments to bays at right.

Small-paned timber-framed sash and case windows. Grey slate roof; coped stacks, with no cans to southern block; squat cylindrical cans to most remaining stacks; cast-iron rainwater goods.

GATE HOUSE: Sydney Mitchell, 1892. Single storey T-plan lodge with swept piended roof. Squared and snecked sandstone. Base course; bargeboards; long and short surrounds to windows.

Timber door to centre of N elevation, with multi-pane rectangular fanlight; small light to section at left; canted oriel window to each side elevation; 2 small lights to rear.

Small-paned timber-framed windows. Coped sandstone stack with pair of cylindrical cans.

RAILINGS: wrought-iron railings, set in coping, to Grosvenor Gardens and Rosebery Crescent.

Statement of Interest

Part of New Town A-Group. The original Coates Hall was a 2-storey Baronial house by David Bryce for Sheriff Napier. It had pepperpots on the twin S gables and a round turret in the angle of the NE wing. A late Gothic chapel was added by Sydney Mitchell for the Episcopal Church in 1892, and, in addition to expansion northwards in a milder Baronial style, the existing angle turret received a polygonally-spired octagon. To allow for the positioning of the new chapel, the original E porch was adapted to form the main S entrance at the juncture of the chapel and Bryce's initial Hall. In 1913 the main block was raised a storey by Robert Lorimer and bell-roofs were added to the heightened pepperpots. Lorimer extended the chapel to the E in 1922.

External Links

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