Description

John Chesser, 1875-1879. 3-storey and basement row of terraced houses with 3-storey and basement canted bays. Polished, channelled sandstone ashlar with polished dressings; droved sandstone to basement. Base course; band course between ground and 1st floors and 1st and 2nd floors, corniced at canted bays; cill course to 2nd floor, canted bay; eaves course and dentilled cornice. Doorpieces comprising consoled cornice to pilastered, keystoned, depressed-arch opening containing panelled timber door flanked by narrow lights with segmental-arched fanlight (astragals to Nos 31 and 25); margins to windows above doorpieces, with bracketed block cill at 2nd floor.

FRONT (N) ELEVATION: advanced 4-bay blocks at left and right ends (Nos 28-31 and 23 respectively), with bracketed block cills to ground and 2nd floor windows. Nos 28-31: modern bipartite at bay to outer left, basement; window at bay to left; part-glazed door to left of platt; bipartite window underneath platt; part-glazed door with fanlight to right of platt; light to centre of canted bay at right; recessed, panelled timber door to penultimate bay to right at ground (no doorpiece); semicircular aperture in masonry above containing fanlight; small modern window at right; bipartite window, set slightly to right, to floors above; single windows to 2 bays to left, all floors; 3-light canted windows at bay to right; plain iron balustrade to 2nd floor, canted bay. No 23: window to centre of canted bay to outer left at basement; door and fanlight to right; window beneath platt and to 2 bays to right; doorpiece to penultimate bay to left at ground; single windows to bays above; single windows to all bays at right; lights to each face of canted bay at left; plain iron balustrade to each window at 2nd floor. Main block (4 2-bay houses): window beneath platt to bay to left at basement; door and fanlight at centre; window to centre of canted bay at right; doorpiece to bay to left at ground; single window to floors above; 3 lights to each canted bay at right.

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case windows; grey slate roof; coped mutual ridge stacks with tall moulded cans; painted cast-iron rainwater goods.

RAILINGS: spike-finialled railings to street (set in coping), and to ashlar steps and oversailing entrance platts; plain railings to steps to basement from street.

Statement of Interest

Part of New Town A-Group. John Chesser was the Superintendent of Works to George Heriot's Hospital between 1858 and 1889. During his term of office large quantities of Heriot's land were feued, including land in the W of Edinburgh. Chesser was responsible for preparing ground and elevation plans for the new buildings. Opulent interiors were designed for many of the houses.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17804270

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

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  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
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  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair