15 Swanston Village, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Description

15 Swanston Village is made up of at least two single storey cottages (converted into one) that sit within a small group of early to mid-18th century thatched cottages at the foot of the Pentland Hills on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The cottages were refurbished around 1959-62 by J Wilson Paterson for the Edinburgh Corporation. It forms part of the west side of the group.

It is built on a rectangular-plan of six bays and its north gable is attached to the taller former schoolhouse. The entrance (east) elevation has a pattern of two paired doors and two single windows to the left with three closely set windows to the right. The rear elevation has four windows and also two small ventilator windows. There is a single window in the south gable. The cottage is random rubble on rough rubble foundations with deeply recessed window margins. The front elevation has raised ashlar stone door and window margins.

The window openings are small with timber sash and case frames with horns and a predominantly nine-pane glazing pattern (doubled glazed around 2016). The doors are vertical timber boarded with small rectangular glazed panels. The roof is thatched in reed with a concrete ridge and concrete skew with a slate skewputt detail. There is a squared gable stack with a plain clay can.

The interior was not seen in 2017.

Statement of Interest

15 Swanston Village is an integral part of a rare example of an 18th century group of inhabited thatched cottages. Once common across Scotland, these vernacular thatched buildings are now extremely rare. The cottages retain their 18th century footprint and a significant proportion of their historic character and fabric following their refurbishment and restoration in the late 1950s.

There are no later additions or later buildings in the immediate group and their setting is largely unchanged from the 19th century. They also have added interest as an example of a mid-20th century local authority social housing that restored historic buildings for modern use using traditional materials.

Age and Rarity

Swanston was first recorded in 1214 when it formed part of the Barony of Redhall. Swanston village first appears on Adair's map of the 1680s with the spelling "Swanstoun". On Thomson's Map of 1821 the village is marked as a tower house surrounded by a group of smaller buildings all set around the Swanston Burn which runs off the Pentland Hills. The tower house on this map is the early 18th century Swanston Mansion House (listed at category B, LB28202) and the map marks the owner as "Trotter Esq". The Trotter family bought the Mortonhall Estate in 1670.

In 1758 an Act of Parliament empowered the Edinburgh Corporation to provide piped water from private lands to the city of Edinburgh which had expanded substantially after the building of the New Town. Swanston's landowner, Henry Trotter, resisted. He is thought to have planted the large "T" wood on the hillside in protest after his appeal to the House of Lords was overturned in 1760. In 1761 the Swanston Waterworks was completed as part of the first piped water supply to the city. Swanston Cottage (listed at category B, LB28201) and Water House (listed at category B, LB27965) were built as part of the works.

Number 15 (and the other thatched buildings in the group) are first marked in detail on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Map (surveyed 1852, published 1855). This map shows the village footprint is the same as its current form (2018).

19th and early 20th century photographs of Swanston Village on SCRAN show the thatched houses with various ad hoc additions, some of which may have been built using reclaimed materials. It was common for vernacular buildings to have simply crafted additions and alterations, often due to the occupants' limited resources.

A photograph on SCRAN from around 1950 (ref: 000-000-040-840) shows number 15 before it was renovated by the Edinburgh Corporation. The front elevation has small timber porches over each of the doors in its east elevation. The three closely set windows are enclosed within the boundary fence of the attached two-storey former schoolhouse to the north. The schoolhouse was the local school for children from Swanston but also from as far away as Lothianburn and Dreghorn.

This photograph, coupled with the evidence of the interior wall thicknesses, suggests that the northern part of this cottage was previously linked internally to the schoolhouse and may have been used as a schoolroom. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a wall clock in number 13 originated from number 15 when it was used as the village school.

In his book 'Edinburgh, An Illustrated Architectural Guide', McKean notes Swanston Village was a home for shepherds working in the local area and was also known for the cottage industry of linen bleaching. Historic South Edinburgh notes that in the mid-19th century the cottages were occupied by the farmworkers of Swanston Farm. The cottages had earth floors and each one consisted of one main room, a privy and an adjoining midden.

The village had no water or electricity when the 40 residents were cut off by snowdrifts of 1947 and by 1954 the cottages were mostly uninhabited. In 1956 the Edinburgh Corporation planned repairs to convert the nine cottages into seven for use as social housing. The works included upgrading the interior of the cottages to the required standard of the time. The 1960 article 'A New Look for Swanston' records a meeting on 20 June 1956 where the City Architect estimated the cost of renovations at £17,000. The scheme included a tea room and house, a road and the layout of the grounds. Number 15 remains in the ownership of the local authority and rented for housing (2018).

A photograph in a 'Scotland's Magazine' article of April 1960 shows number 15 reroofed in thatch and the neighbouring cottages (13 and 14) with their thatch and roof structures removed ready to be reroofed. The various individual additions to the cottages were removed and the exteriors of the cottages were regularised.

There are variety of dates for the restoration. The 'Buildings of Scotland' notes that the restoration of the cottages was undertaken in 1964 by J. Wilson Paterson. The Dictionary of Scottish Architects also credits Paterson although it records a more detailed date for the project of around 1959-62. However photographs in Scotland's Magazine of April 1960 and The Queen's Highway of January 1960 both show the completed renovation of the houses to the west side of the burn. 'Interesting Scottish Villages' by Gilbert T Bell in 1965 records that the works were completed for under £30,000.

The Swanston cottages form an unusual example of post-war social housing provision using existing buildings, traditional materials and conservation principles. The majority of contemporary social housing projects by city authorities were modernist new build schemes often incorporating large scale new town planning. Other examples of contemporary projects in Edinburgh include those at Dumbiedykes or the larger scale developments at Sighthill and Niddrie.

Most of the small scale regeneration schemes for small historic houses were for sale and reuse by trusts or private individuals.

In 1955-56 the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) set a pioneering approach to the conservation of historic houses in their restoration projects for small houses in Dunkeld, Perthshire and Culross, Fife. The NTS employed the conservation architect, Ian G Lindsay, who had been appointed chief investigator of historic buildings under the Town & Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1945. By 1960 they had restored 50 houses and officially launched the 'The Little Houses Improvement Scheme' in a bid to ensure a future for historic houses across Scotland. The ethos was a balance between retaining the exterior period features of the buildings, whilst also making internal adjustments for modern living.

Another similar example is the restoration of the 18th century town of Inveraray in Argyll and Bute. The Duke of Argyll had gifted the Ministry of Public Building and Works a large part of the town for community housing and Ian G Lindsay was also commissioned for the contract in 1958.

The restoration of the cottages in Swanston is likely to have been in part inspired by this new movement of regeneration of small vernacular houses. The small scale historic restoration scheme by a local authority for social housing is rare and probably the only use of thatch in this context.

The use of thatch as a roofing material has a long tradition in Scotland. Thatched buildings are often traditionally built single storey cottages or crofts reflecting pre-industrial construction methods and materials. The survival of this building type into the 21st century is extremely rare. A Survey of Thatched Buildings in Scotland, published in 2016 by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), found that were only around 200 buildings with thatched roofs in Scotland. Those which retain their traditional vernacular character, including plan forms and construction techniques may be of special interest in listing terms.

At the end of the 19th century thatched buildings remained common in the north and west of Scotland however in central, southern and eastern Scotland the use of thatch was becoming increasingly rare. The survival of settlements with thatched roofs is rare by the 20th century.

There are other groups of thatched buildings across Scotland such as in Fortingall and Rait in Perthshire and Collessie in Fife. Fortingall is a late 19th century planned village in the Arts and Crafts style and Collessie has five 18th century thatched buildings spread throughout the village. More groups of thatched cottages survive on the Uists but they are more spread across the landscape and are interspersed with later buildings. Swanston Village by comparison is unique as a close knit grouping of 18th century thatched cottages in the Scottish lowlands and it is also the only surviving example in Scotland near to a major city.

After the Second World War the decline of the tradition of thatched buildings accelerated across Scotland. Improved communications, cheaper more efficient building materials, higher general standards of living as well as the loss of skilled workers came very close to ending the thatching tradition. As owners of thatched buildings moved to modern houses thatched buildings were often abandoned or converted to stores or animal shelters.

The 1950s decision to restore the Swanston cottages for housing and retain their thatched roofs means that they are a very rare survival of thatch in the area. The 19th century and later subsidiary additions and modifications were removed as a result of these works. The group as a whole retains a significant amount of 18th century character.

Architectural or Historic Interest

Interior

The interiors of these traditional thatched cottages in Scotland were often simple. Many of them have been refurbished and historic features no longer survive. The interior of number 15 was not seen (2017). The interior of all the cottages at Swanston Village were comprehensively refurbished around 1960 as part of the scheme by the Edinburgh City Corporation. A photograph from this period on SCRAN (ref: 000-000-046-769) shows number 13 newly fitted out with simple contemporary interiors.

The interior of number 15 is likely to have mostly later 20th or early 21st century interior detailing. Other houses in the village retain some simple early 18th century fireplaces and some of their interior plan form layouts.

Plan form

15 Swanston Village is a thin rectangular plan and its north gable is attached to the larger former schoolhouse. Narrow rectangular plan forms are typical of vernacular buildings because the expense of suitable roof timber restricted the depth which could be spanned.

Many of the cottages were linked internally to create larger homes. A listed building consent application drawing from 2016 (ref:16/00284/LBC) indicates the wall thicknesses which illustrates that number 15 was formerly at least two cottages. A thick dividing wall separates the northern part with the triple window from the rest of the cottage. The two doors opening to the southern part indicate that this was a further two cottages.

All the cottages in the village are rectangular in plan but are of various sizes. The survival of the building's early footprint without any significant additions or losses is rare and adds to its interest.

Technological excellence or innovation, material or design quality

While authenticity of material can be an important factor in assessing the significance of thatched buildings, buildings which have been repaired over time (perhaps with new roofing material or rethatched) can also be listed. The retention of the overall traditional character of vernacular buildings is therefore important in determining their special architectural or historic interest.

Swanston Cottages are constructed and repaired using materials and methods that are characteristic of central Scotland. The interest of these vernacular buildings is discussed in the Regional Variations section below.

The cottages retain a significant proportion of their 18th century character and fabric, such as the small window openings, the thickness and irregularity of the walls and use of rubble stone for the walls, which is likely to have been locally sourced. The cottages are built on the steepest part of Swanston and parallel to the burn. The form of vernacular buildings typically responded to the landscape.

Photographs from the mid-20th century show that the village buildings were in a relatively poor state of repair with various incremental alterations and that roof structures were removed and replaced as part of the refurbishment around 1960. The roofs have been rethatched in Tay reed and the concrete ridges added. The Brough family from Fife worked mostly in the central region and they are most well-known for the re-thatching at Swanston.

A photograph on SCRAN (ref: 000-000-467-748-C) shows Jock Brough rethatching at the village using a steel 'needle', a wooden 'beater', and a straight knife. The thatch was woven into the battens or purlins then the edges of the overlapping reed were beaten to create a flat finish for the smooth run off of rain. The thatching style, including the concrete ridge, was imported from the central areas of Scotland (Walker et al, p.62).

The architect J Wilson Paterson was educated in Edinburgh and began working for the Office of Works in Edinburgh in 1909 under the principal William T Oldrieve. He was commended for his work on Holyrood Palace in 1910 -1913 and as a result he continued to work for the smaller Edinburgh Office of Works after Oldrieve's retirement. The office carried out works on post office and telephone exchanges across the city. J Wilson Paterson retired from the Office of Works in 1943. However, he continued to work privately and by 1960 he was senior partner in the Edinburgh office of Miller and Black. The Dictionary of Scottish Architects records that Paterson carried out the restoration works to Swanston Village for the Edinburgh Corporation from 1959-62 at which time he would have been around 83 years old.

The Scottish Civic Trust Awards were established in 1959 by Michael Middleton CBE to recognise outstanding architecture, urban design, landscape and public art which improved the quality of life for local communities. The restoration work to Swanston Village was an early scheme to receive one of these awards when it won a Civic Trust Commendation in 1964.

Setting

The cottages are built in a small picturesque group around the Swanston Burn at the foot of Caerketton Hill in the east of the Pentland Hills. The land slopes in two directions, both towards the central Hare Burn and with the main topography of the hillside. The cottages mostly run from north to south in line with the topography and also parallel to the burn. Number 15 forms part of the west side of the group and may have been an ancillary accommodation for the former schoolhouse to which it is attached.

Number 15 is an integral part of the village grouping which is surrounded by mature trees and is largely hidden from view from the city. There are also no distant views out from this group of thatched cottages. The enclosed nature of the group of 18th century cottages remains unchanged from at least the 19th century and it forms a well-defined characterful setting which is an important element of their interest.

Swanston village is the only example of thatched buildings in Scotland which are located within a city council area. The majority of thatched buildings are in rural council areas such as Argyll and Bute and Highland, with the largest number found in the Na h-Eileanan Siar. The setting of the thatched cottages within striking distance of the capital city makes them very rare. Unusually their immediate setting is largely unaffected by later development or by the expansion of the city. The setting of these cottages adds significantly to their interest.

Regional variations

The design and construction of a building, the method of thatching and the thatching material used was a distinctly localised practice. The best examples of local vernacular buildings will normally be listed because together they illustrate the importance of distinctive local and regional traditions.

The central and southern regions of Scotland have a history of diverse local thatching techniques. The industrial and agricultural revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries transformed areas of this region in a very short period of time and as a result relatively few thatch buildings survive. Almost none are known to survive in large towns or cities and so the location of those at Swanston is very rare.

With the significant shift of people to towns and cities and improvements in transport and communication this region experienced a variety of thatching techniques and traditions. Central Scotland is also fairly well protected from the extreme weather prevailing in the Highlands and Islands. Consequently thatched roofs did not require heavy duty fixings to keep the thatch in place. The thatch was often secured down using pegs or wire netting. Thatched buildings in the area usually had gable ends, as seen at Swanston. The traditional thatching material in this area would have been oat straw, as was often the case across Scotland. The planting of the Tay reed beds in the 18th century and the increased availability of reed as a result means that most buildings in this region are thatched in reed, as at Swanston.

The concrete ridges used at Swanston was a detail more commonly used in the central regions of Scotland, and was added as part of Brough's work. At later cottages the use of masonry skews became popular.

Close Historical Associations

There is an association with a person of national importance.

The internationally renowned author and poet Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was born in Edinburgh into the family of respected lighthouse engineers. Stevenson formally trained in law and travelled widely in his youth recording his travels in writing. His first book of travel writing, poems and short stories was published in 1878. His writing breakthrough and worldwide recognition came with Treasure Island (1883), Kidnapped (1886) and the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886). Stevenson died young in 1894 in Samoa and left a legacy of work that continues to be important in Scottish and international fiction.

When he was not travelling overseas Stevenson holidayed at the nearby Swanston Cottage from 1867- 80. He had a strong association with Swanston Village which he often visited when out walking. The smaller east section of number 13 Swanston Village was the home of the shepherd, John Todd, the 'Roarin' Shepherd' who he described with great fondness in his essay 'Pastoral' (chapter 6 in his 1887 book "Memories and Portraits").

This building was listed at category A on 14/12/1970 as part of 'Swanston, Swanston Village Cottages (9-15) (consec)'. This listing was split on 03/12/1998 when 15 Swanston Village was listed at category C.

Statutory address, category of listing changed from C to A and listed building record revised in 2019. Previously listed as '15 Swanston Village'.

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing
Wikidata IDs Q17792300 Q77773420

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.