Description

John Watherston and Sons, 1880-81. 4-storey (mansard attic to centre pavilion), Italianate tenement and shops, angled around corner with pilastered centrepiece and terminal bays; some later additions to shop fronts at ground floor. Sandstone ashlar; painted ashlar, timber and metal shopfronts; channelled ashlar pilasters to centre and terminal bays. Large consoles to centre and outer bays at ground floor with dentilled fascia, arched and consoled doorpieces. 4-light canted bays at 1st 2nd and 3rd floors to centre and terminal bays. Moulded cill courses. Consoled corniced eaves course with some decorative roundels. Round arched and triangular pedimented windows at 1st floor. Corniced 2nd floor windows with decorative entablature and brackets. Shouldered architraves at 3rd floor windows; small roundels to alternating window heads. Balustrade to centre section broken by 3 pedimented and finalled ashlar dormers.

Plate glass to ground floor shop fronts, some in timber some in metal frames. Predominantly plate glass in timber sash and case windows to tenement. Steep double pitch M-section roof to centre section; shallow double pitch M-section roof to flanking blocks; grey slates. Corniced ashlar ridge and gable end stacks; modern clay cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

Statement of Interest

Confident and well-ordered Italianate design for a commercial and residential block, typifying the best mixed commercial and residential blocks of the 1880s, also exemplified in Shandwick Place (see separate listing). The design takes particular account of the prominent corner site, and the splayed corner and pedimented tripartite windows provide good streetscape.

The Watherston's practice built large parts of Edinburgh's West End speculatively, often conforming to the plans of the Walker and Heriot Trusts. The practice functioned as both architects and builders, and as well as their work in Edinburgh the firm also did country house work in the same way. Their role here is slightly unclear as drawings only survive detailing general elevations, with later elevations for alteration to the site. The Watherston office was also responsible for the design of Nos. 17 and 18 Rothesay Place (see separate listing) which illustrates the variety of sources which they drew upon in their designs.

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

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17804842

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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