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Summary

Description

Edward Calvert, designed in 1896-1897. 4-storey tenement of 5 bays to SW elevation, with canted bay to corner of High Street and Pipe Street, 3- bay to SE elevation. Cream and pink sandstone stugged ashlar with polished ashlar dressings. Cill course to 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors, with raised cills to each window; eaves course.

SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: bays to centre grouped closely together. Bipartite windows to each floor of every bay, unless otherwise stated. Deep-set panelled door to left of centre, ground floor, plate glass rectangular fanlight above; shops to remaining bays. Blank bay to outer right with pedimented plaque to 2nd floor with date and Co-op insignia. Windows to 1st and 4th bays, 2nd and 3rd floors, slightly raised curvilinear apron beneath cills. Corbelled cills to each of remaining windows. Full-height cant window to angle; consoled to hexagonal at 1st floor, panelled apron to 1st floor windows, carved band course between 1st and 2nd floors, aprons to 3rd floor windows. Blank additional storey to canted window with carved roundels (NW-NE: female figure with large compass; possibly ships with cargo, representing commerce; shaking hands representing union; beehive representing industry; figure with compass); Greek key pattern eaves course; bell-cast roof and ball finial.

SE ELEVATION: bays to right closely spaced. Windows to each floor of every bay unless stated otherwise. Shop front to ground, bay to left; windows to each floor above. Bipartite window to bay to right and to each floor of bay to centre and to right. Curvilinear apron to 1st and 3rd bays; corbelled cills to bay at centre.

Predominantly plate glass timber sash and case windows; later pivot windows to 2nd floor, SW elevation. Grey slate roof with leaded platform to Portobello High Street, and roof light to SE; fish-scale grey slates to corner canted bay. Shouldered coped ashlar wallhead stack, to 5th bay, SW elevation. Later ashlar with coping wallhead stack with concrete shoulders, to SE.

INTERIOR: not seen, 1994.

Statement of Special Interest

A petition was admitted in October 1896 for warrant to demolish the existing buildings on the corner site of Pipe Street and Portobello High Street and for 2 4-storey tenements to be built with separate stairs. The plans which are extant at the Dean of Guild Archives are dated September 1896 and are signed by Edward Calvert. The tenements were to be an extension of the plain terrace of tenements which are numbered Nos 44 to 54 Portobello High Street. Calvert reflects their basic design whilst making them slightly more decorative by the inclusion of curvilinear panels and the corner canted window. Nos 52 and 54 are currently used as offices (1994, Labour party offices), No 56 as office; No 58 as tenement, and No 60 as shop, 1994.

References

Bibliography

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