Description

Circa 1775; extended and altered to shop later 19th century; to office circa 1965 (before 1968); further alterations 1985. W half of pair of 3-storey basement and attic, 3-bay classical houses. Droved cream sandstone ashlar. Mutuled cornice. Ground floor built out with minimalist polished ashlar framing plate glass lobby; earlier modillioned cornice. At 1st floor, full width window, canted at centre, with modillioned cornice and blocking course. Segmental-headed tripartite timber dormer displaced to right.

To rear, segmental-headed piend-roofed timber tripartite dormer to left of original roof; large cast-iron rooflight to right. Modern 2-storey 3-bay piend-roofed dry-dash block replaces former showrooms; entered at 1st floor (garden built over) by steps oversailing area. Round-headed openings; larger at centre with door surrounded by glazing and sunburst fanlight.

Timber sash and windows; 4-pane and plate glass. Grey slates; ashlar stacks.

INTERIOR: original hall and stair survives to E; simple alternate cast-iron banisters (extra flight added to attic); Drawing Room at 1st floor with original enriched ceiling (geometric circular pattern with trailing vine and birds), guilloche and acanthus cornice. Otherwise, ground floor largely open plan; arcaded central section with rich consoled cornice and exotic principal (19th century) stair to 1st floor off; groin-vaulted ceiling to stair supported on cluster of columns with rich Composite capitals; these continue as arcade across width of 1st floor. Open plan at 2nd floor.

Statement of Interest

Built as a pair with No 6 (see separate listing No 4-6, the BBC). Formerly Butti?s the picture dealer, whose inscribed mounting stone survives at the kerb. The basement contains a (covered up) cast-iron stove. A Group with 4-16 (inclusive nos) Queen Street as a significant surviving part of the original fabric of Edinburgh?s New Town, one of the most important and best preserved examples of urban planning in Britain; Queen Street was built to take advantage of the northern views, and has survived remarkably unaltered to this day.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17804303

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

• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)