Description

1787; reconstructed and extended 1838; rear addition by John Chesser, 1852. 4-storey basement and attic to rear, 4-bay former classical club. Polished Craigleith sandstone ashlar facade. Round-headed basement door with fine metal fanlight (probably resited from original doorway above). Droved ashlar basement; base course. At ground, arcaded rustication to original 3 (W) bays with rectangular windows set in; carved scrolled impost course; large porch to E bay with coupled Ionic columns, full entablature and blocking course; 2-leaf panelled doors. Tall windows at 1st floor with cill/band course, moulded architraves, cornices and rosette friezes. Short 2nd floor windows with moulded architraves. Dentilled cornice and frieze as above. 3rd (attic) storey with plain windows, simple cornice.

Irregular rubble rear elevation with full attic storey; E (later) bay projects slightly, with circular stair tower and closet tower, both to 2nd floor only, flanking full-height shallow bow. Single storey and basement link to rear extension.

Timber sash and case 4- and 6-pane windows with secondary glazing. Piended roof; grey slates; dressed stone stacks.

Piended and pitched roofed blocks to rear.

INTERIOR: thoroughly altered and sub-divided. Large Hall with square cantilevered top-lit stair and cast-iron banisters (1838); dentilled cornice with panelling above supports circular cupola. Principal 1st floor rooms include apsidal-ended room with Venetian window (and service stair) to rear. Considerable accommodation in block to rear, partly top-lit former billiard room only note of interest.

FRONT WALLS AND LAMP STANDARDS: low coped wall with base course to front, replacing traditional railings; pair of fine cast-iron lamp standards to porch.

Statement of Interest

Reconstructed for the Caledonian United Service Club in 1838 by extending a bay to the E and adding an extra storey. It is not clear what the single bay building between Nos 11-13 and No 14 was. Latterly the head office of Lothian Region Transport with interior fittings made by the joiners who built their buses. The extra bay copied the original very fine facade exactly, but the join is clearly visible due to later subsidence. 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 Q17576613

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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