Description

John Lessels, 1862-70. Extensive astylar renaissance terrace; unified townhouse façade with main-door and common stair flats behind, comprising 3-bay townhouses with taller 3-storey and basement advanced corner blocks; shouldered archway between Nos. 10 and 12. Basement area to street including some vaulted cellars and retaining walls. Sandstone ashlar, droved ashlar at basement, channelled ashlar at ground floor. Entrance platts oversailing basements. Band course between basement and ground floor. Banded cill courses at 1st and 2nd floor, bracketed to central terraces at 2nd floor. String course to corner blocks. Corniced eaves course. Parapeted and balustraded corner blocks, with plain bas-relief. Recessed round arched window surrounds to corner blocks at ground floor. Architraved and corniced segmental arched windows, rosette to cornice of alternating surrounds. Architraved, bracketed and corniced, alternating with pedimented windows at 1st floor to corner blocks. Moulded architraved surrounds to 2nd floor. Similar elevation on corner block return to Walker Street but with no pedimented 1st floor window surrounds and blind windows to ground, 1st and 2nd floors. Stepped parapet and bas-relief panel to centre. Cast-iron balconies

Plate glass in timber sash and case windows. Timber 4-panel doors in round arched surrounds. Plain fanlights. Narrow sidelights at corner blocks. Corniced ashlar ridge and gable end stacks with modern clay cans. Double pitch M-section roof; grey slates. Cast-iron, 3-bay balconies on scrolled brackets to 1st floor windows. 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 building, affected little by later alterations, are amongst the best examples of their type. The Astylar Renaissance style of the block links it to 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). The design includes a common stair to no. 22 which also provides access to 47 Manor Place.

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 Q17796947

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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