Description

John Lessels, 1862-70. 3-storey, attic and basement, astylar renaissance terrace comprising unified façade of 3-bay townhouses with main-door and common stair flats behind. Basement area to street including some vaulted cellars and retaining walls. Sandstone ashlar, droved to basement, channelled at ground floor. Entrance platts oversailing basements. Banded base course. Banded cill course to 1st and 2nd floors (bracketed at 2nd floor). Corniced eaves course. Round arched doorways. Architraved and corniced segmental arched openings at 1st floor; small rosettes in cornice to alternating bays. Moulded architraved windows at 2nd floor. Breakfronted cast-iron balconies at 1st floor windows, missing at No. 29.

Plate glass in timber sash and case windows. Timber 6-panel doors with plain fanlights. Double pitch M-section roof; grey slates. Corniced ashlar ridge stacks; modern clay cans. Cast-iron railings on ashlar coping stone edging basement recess to street. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

Statement of Interest

This is a well detailed and largely unaltered example of a Victorian terrace, designed by John Lessels. The uninterrupted run of terraces has been affected little by later alterations, and is amongst the finest of its type. The Astylar Renaissance style of the block is more characteristic of the earlier parts of the Walker Estate whilst the rosettes are characteristic of a more decorated Victorian style. The east corner block is also clearly reminiscent of Robert Brown's designs for earlier parts of the Walker Estate (see separate listings for Melville Street).

John Lessels secured the control over the Walker Estate in 1850, only 4 years after he had set up practice on his own in 1846. He later went on to work for the City Improvement Trust in Edinburgh, and gained a wide experience of residential design with further designs in both the old and new towns of Edinburgh as well as some large commissions such as significant alterations to George Watson's Hospital.

(List description revised 2009 as part of re-survey.)

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17796638

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.

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