Description

Early 19th century, remodelled by A L MacGibbon and Thomas Ross, circa 1900. Numbers 15-17 built 1900 by MacGibbon and Ross. Row of single storey harled cottages with pantiled roofs and bracketed eaves. Cottages stepped up hill, with break between numbers 11 and 12. Numbers 5-11 with porches. Number 17 at end of row, 2-storey with canted corner, corbelled out at 1st floor; kingposted bargeboards to gable; red sandstone ashlar dressings at ground floor. Originally 13 2- and 3-bay cottages, with central door and flanking windows (now 9 cottages). Painted ashlar window and door dressings. Timber panelled doors with plate glass or 2-pane fanlights. Bracketed timber porches to numbers 5, 7, and former number 6 (now window). Timber porches supported on log columns advanced over pavement to numbers 8, 10 and 11. No 17 with corniced doorway and flat-roofed dormer to W (Cuddies Lane).

6-pane upper and 2-pane lower sashes in timber sash and case windows. Coped gable-head stacks with clay cans. Ashlar-coped skews. Pantiled roofs with red ridge tiles.

Statement of Interest

A picturesque group, lending much character to Spylaw Street. It is possible that these cottages originally housed the workers who worked in the snuff-mills on the water of Leith. The Dean of Guild plans show numbers 15 and 16 to have each contained two 1-room flats leading off a central lobby: each flat comprised a kitchen with bed recess. It is likely that the other cottages were similarly arranged.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56632215

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

• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)