Outbuilding, Cameron Bank, 4 Peffermill Road, Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Description

Late 18th century. 2-storey and attic, 3-bay, symmetrical, classical villa with L-plan, single storey extension adjoining the house to the rear. Outbuilding is of similar date. Coursed cream sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings to house; rubble to outbuildings. Entrance elevation (to the south) has a central, corniced doorway and a panelled timber door with a plate glass fanlight. There is a single window at the 1st floor above and at both floors in bays to the outer left and right.

Predominantly 12-pane, timber, sash and case windows throughout, some blind windows to east and west gables. A pair of piended box dormers with 4-pane windows located to the attic floor and facing north. Grey slate pitched roof throughout, with corniced wallhead stacks and straight skews and skewputts.

The interior was seen in 2015. The late 18th century internal plan form has been little altered. The building has simple cornicing to the principal rooms and some fireplaces remain. A number of panelled doors and window shutters survive. Timber dog leg staircases provide access to the first and attic floors. The stair has a simple timber banister with decorative cast iron railings.

The outbuilding is of similar date to the house, and comprises the former stables and tack room, with a later stone and timber extension to the east, and forms a courtyard to the west facing the house. It is single storey with 2 boarded timber doors and an early 19th century water pump to the west elevation, and with a small pigeon loft to the south elevation. The interior is cobbled, and there remains evidence of its former use as a stable, such as the timber fixtures for the tackle.

The boundary wall consists of a high rubble wall to Peffermill Road with a pedestrian gate to the east of the house

Statement of Interest

The late 18th century suburban villa at 4 Peffermill Road is a good example of its type. It is a well-portioned house in the classical style, located within its own grounds and is largely unaltered.

Age and Rarity

The house and outbuilding, and extent of land, at 4 Peffermill Road is shown largely in its present form as 'Cameron Bank' on the 1794 estate map and plan of the Baronies of Craigmillar and Liberton surveyed by land surveyor William Crawford & Son of Cameron Bank. Crawford was a contemporary of John Ainslie and the land directly to the southwest of Cameron Bank, extending to Pow Burn is marked as belonging to 'W. Crawford'. Kirkwood's 1817 map of Edinburgh shows the land and house belonging to Mr Wm Crawford. The Post Office Directory for Edinburgh also has William Crawford and his family living at Cameron Bank from 1807-43.

At the time of Crawford's 1794 map, Cameron Bank was part of the Prestonfield Estate. By the time Kirkwood's map was published in 1817, the land appears to be part of the estate of Sir William Keith Dick, Baronet. On both maps, the Craigmillar Estate extends to the south of Pow Burn.

By the 1877 edition of the Ordnance Survey large town plan, the gardens to the south of the house are labelled as 'nurseries'. Finally, by the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map, the gardens are named Cameron Bank Nurseries. Buildings shown to the east of the villa, include some which are cross hatched, indicate that these were glasshouses likely appearing when the building or land was used as a nursery. The glasshouses are still found on the 4th edition of the Ordnance Survey may (surveyed 1933 and published 1934), but it is not certain when these buildings were demolished.

Buildings erected before 1840 which are of notable quality and survive predominantly in their original form have a strong case for listing. Suburban villas from the late 18th century to the mid-part of the 19th century are common building types in Scotland and many survive which also retain much of their internal decorative features. The building type is particularly prevalent in Edinburgh and the surrounding area. No 4 Peffermill Road is a good example of its type for its late 18th century date. It has good decorative features, which are described in more detail below, and it has been little altered internally and externally, retaining much of its late 18th century form. The building is a good example of a suburban villa of this date in the Edinburgh area.

Architectural or Historic Interest

Interior

There is good survival of a number late 18th century decorative features which are typical of a small classical house of the period.

Plan form

The rectangular and symmetrical plan form of the villa is typical for its date and includes a central rear staircase to access rooms on the first floor. The plan form of the attic rooms, accessed by a further small timber stair, are also largely unaltered.

Technological excellence or innovation, material or design quality

The building at 4 Peffermill Road is largely unaltered externally and internally, and the principal elevation in particular has some good stone detailing. The symmetry and classical proportions of the villa are in keeping with its late 18th century date.

Setting

The villa is situated within its own grounds, separated from the street to the north by a high stone boundary wall and enclosed by its garden and ancillary buildings to the west and east respectively. To the south, the former 19th century and early 20th century nursery gardens are no longer extant, however the setting with open ground up to the Pow Burn is largely unchanged since the late 18th century. There are later developments of a playing field and various pavilions to the far southeast of the former Cameron Bank house grounds, however the setting of the area to the south of the villa is still largely of late 18th and early 19th century in character.

Regional variations

There are no known regional variations.

Close historical association

No known nationally significant associations.

William Crawford, is known to be associated with Cameron Bank from the late 18th century to the middle of the 19th century and was a well-known Edinburgh land-surveyor who was trained by John Home and may have worked with John Ainslie, the leading Scottish cartographer of his day. Both he and his son, also William, were employed for many years by the Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensberry in producing estate plans.

Statutory listing address, category of listing and listed building record revised in 2016. Previously listed as '2, 4 Peffermill Road, Cameron Bank, including outbuildings and boundary wall'.

External Links

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.