Statement of Special Interest
Dating from the earlier 19th century, 116, 118 and 118A High Street is a largely unaltered example of a classical burgh tenement which forms part of a group of buildings of similar date and quality. Located on the historic main street through Dalkeith it represents the economic development of the burgh in the early 19th century, showing its prosperity at this time. It is an integral part of the historic town centre, with its width reflecting the historic burgage plot. The retention of the two and three-storey earlier 19th century additions at the rear is relatively unusual and demonstrates the continued used of the Scottish medieval burgh settlement pattern.
In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: single-storey and attic rear range at Robertson's Close.
Age and Rarity
A settlement at what is now Dalkeith High Street was established in the medieval period. Called 'the great road', it consisted of a single street running southwest from Dalkeith Castle and was lined with burgage plots. (Dennison and Coleman, p 21).
Medieval burgh settlement patterns are an important part of Scotland's history. They comprise a principal street with long and narrow burgage plots running at right angles to it, in a herringbone pattern. The High Street is Dalkeith's historic core and although there has been development in the area over the centuries the ancient street layout largely remains.
By the 18th century the town had not expanded much further than this principal road, now called the High Street. On Roy's Map of the Lowlands 1752-55 the town is shown with closes running back from the High Street.
Located at the centre of the High Street, a building at 116, 118 and 118A is shown on Wood's Plan of Dalkeith from 1822. This map shows a square plan building fronting the High Street with a pend to Robertson's Close and a long range of buildings behind stretching to the Back Street (now St Andrews Street). The buildings at the site of 116, 118 and 118A are labelled as the property of Mr Simpson. The range of buildings adjoining at the rear are labelled Dalziel.
In the early 19th century Dalkeith was a prosperous market town and the High Street saw significant development. The New Statistical Account (written in 1845) records that many houses in the High Street had been recently rebuilt and had 'the elegance of modern architecture' (pp. 507-8).
Although earlier buildings would have existed on this section of the High Street, it appears that 116, 118 and 118A High Street was rebuilt during this period of improvement in the earlier 19th century. The classical style of the street elevation and the 1844 date stone on the two-storey rear addition at Robertson's Close also indicates this.
On the Ordnance Survey Town Plan of Dalkeith (surveyed 1852, published 1853) 116, 118 and 118A High Street is shown as a single building with a rectangular footprint and forestairs at the northeast elevation at Robertson's Close. Attached to the building at the rear and running the length of Robertson's Close, is a range of five buildings, each with a forestair.
During the earlier 19th century the buildings fronting the High Street were typically occupied by shopkeepers and tradesmen (Ordnance Survey Name Book, 1852, p 20). The New Statistical Account notes that the closes and lanes between the principal streets were densely populated (pp. 507). The 1851 census for Dalkeith lists 95 occupants of Roberton Close [sic], the close to the rear of 116, 118 and 118A High Street. Professions of the occupants included agricultural labourers, blacksmiths, tailors and shoemakers.
On the Ordnance Survey Town Plan of Dalkeith (surveyed 1893, published 1894) 116, 118 and 118A High Street is shown with the same footprint and marked as the 'post office'. It is likely that at this time the front building to the High Street functioned as the Post Office and the rear three-storey building as a warehouse or sorting office. On the Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1966, published 1967) the building is marked as a printing works.
In the early 20th century many of the buildings in the closes running at right angles to the High Street were demolished. By the Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1948, published around 1950) part of the southern end of the rear range at Robertson's Close had been truncated. The footprint of the building shown on this map is largely as it appears today apart from two forestairs at the Robertson's Close elevation, which have been removed (2018).
Buildings built before 1840 which are of notable quality and survive predominantly in their original form have a strong case for listing. Tenemented houses dating from the earlier 19th century can be found across Scotland and those that survive with a lack of exterior alteration are increasingly rare.
116, 118 and 118A High Street is a good example of an earlier 19th century classical burgh tenement. Although relatively simple in design, its street elevation is largely unaltered and it retains its classical form and character.
The pattern of the street layout, the burgage plots and their closes, are characteristic of Scottish burghs. They are important features of Dalkeith and are of considerable significance. 116, 118 and 118A High Street is an integral part of the town centre, with the retention of its pend to Robertson's Close and its width reflecting the historic burgage plot.
Made up of three sections, the two and three-storey additions to the rear have been functionally linked to the building fronting the High Street since at least the mid-19th century. The survival of these sections of the building demonstrates the continued mixed industrial and residential use of the High Street through much of the 19th and earlier 20th century.
Architectural or Historic Interest
Interior
The front (northwest) room of the ground floor commercial premises of number 118 was seen in 2018. This has been substantially modernised and reconfigured in the late 20th/early 21st century and no features of the early 19th century decorative scheme are apparent.
The remainder of the interiors of 118 and the interior of 116 and 118A were not seen and therefore have not been assessed.
The interior of the single-storey and attic rear range at Robertson's Close was also seen. Formerly a row of individual buildings, these have been knocked through to create a single building which is currently in use as commercial premises.
The ground and first floor are largely open plan apart from a row of office and storage rooms on the ground floor. The attic ceiling has exposed timber beams and there are two door openings in the northeast elevation which are no longer in use and are boarded up on the exterior. The door openings previously would have led to forestairs which were removed by the mid-20th century.
The interior is not considered to be of special interest in listing terms.
Plan form
The square footprint of the tenement is standard for this date in an urban setting. The footprint of the building reflects the width of the original burgage plot and this is of interest.
Technological excellence or innovation, material or design quality
Classical style town architecture became highly fashionable in the late 18th century, particularly in Edinburgh. The influence of this type of architecture spread to other regions in Scotland by the early 19th century. 116, 118 and 118A High Street is evidence of the growing popularity of rational classical architecture in Scotland and indicates the ambition of the town at the period, where prosperity helped to promote the use of fashionable styles of architecture. This new type of architecture signalled a move away from the vernacular to more rational classical architecture.
116, 118 and 118A High Street has an ashlar street elevation and large evenly spaced window openings and demonstrates the elevated status of this building.
116, 118 and 118A High Street is one of a number of earlier 19th century tenement buildings at this part of the High Street. Other listed earlier 19th century buildings include 140 and 142 High Street (LB24415), 128-134 (even numbers) High Street and 112 and 114 High Street (LB2411) which adjoins 116, 118 and 118A High Street at the south east. As with 116, 118 and 118A High Street, the ground floor shop fronts of these tenements have been largely altered.
The form and openings of the 116 and 118 High Street principal elevation are unaltered at the first and second floor level. As a result of this the building overall retains its earlier 19th century restrained classical character. The survival of the building's earlier 19th century streetscape character reflects the ambition and prosperity of Dalkeith at the time and is of interest in listing terms.
Setting
The tenement is prominently located at the centre of Dalkeith High Street where the road narrows running west from the wide upper High Street. The High Street was laid out in the medieval period and is the historic centre of the town.
The buildings in the section of the High Street surrounding the tenement at 116, 118 and 118A mainly date to the late 18th and earlier 19th century. Many of the buildings along the High Street were rebuilt in the earlier 19th century as the town became increasingly prosperous. The survival of these buildings as a group is of interest as showing the historical and economic development of this burgh and contributes to the streetscape character of the High Street.
Parts of the southwest of the High Street were comprehensively redeveloped around the mid-20th century. The remainder of the High Street, from South Street to the entrance to Dalkeith House and Country Park, however largely retains the historic street layout depicted in detail on Wood's 1822 Map of Dalkeith.
Wood's 1822 map shows closes and burgage plots at the rear of the High Street built up with houses and workshops. While the street layout of closes and burgage plots can still be identified today, many of the structures which occupied them have been demolished. The single-storey and attic range at Robertson's Close is one of the longest rear ranges remaining on the south side of the High Street. While the footprint of this rear range follows the layout of the historic burgage plot the building has been truncated at the southern end and extensively altered during the 20th century.
The building is located within Dalkeith House and Park Conservation Area (CA347).
Regional variations
There are no known regional variations.
Close Historical Associations
There are no known associations with a person or event of national importance at present (2018).
Statutory address, category of listing changed from B to C and listed building record revised in 2018. Previously listed as '116-120 (even nos) High Street'.