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Summary

Description

Early 19th century, with later additions (principally dating from circa 1830) and alterations. 2-storey row of terraced houses, set back from road, with principal elevation facing SW. Painted and rendered elevation overlooking Straiton Place, partly harled, partly polished ashlar to principal elevation. Base course to part of SW elevation, shallow base course to NE elevation, cill course, cornice and blocking course to SW elevation.

NE (STRAITON PLACE) ELEVATION: 10 bays; windows irregularly placed at 1st floor, blank to extreme left. Doors to bays 3, 4, 7, 9; fluted Doric columns to corniced porches, now glazed to Nos 24 and 26, plate glass rectangular fanlights above panelled doors to Nos 20-22. Later single storey addition to outer left.

SW ELEVATION: not seen fully, 1994. Grouped 4-3-3-2-2; asymmetrical Georgian-style elevation with various degrees of projection to each bay group. 3-BAY GROUP TO CENTRE: slightly raised bay to centre, modern door, plate glass rectangular fanlight, Doric columns flanking, moulded string course above lintel (across bay); window with moulded architrave at 1st floor; pediment, with block finial at apex, at eaves. 3-BAY GROUP TO IMMEDIATE LEFT: irregularly disposed; windows to each floor of bays. Eaves level lower than that of central group, and slightly set back from this group. Windows to each floor of flanking bays. 2-BAY GROUP TO IMMEDIATE RIGHT: harled, set back considerably from centre group; modern single storey harled addition at ground; windows grouped to right at 1st floor. 2-BAY TO OUTER RIGHT: projecting to line of centre group; modern window in bay to left, modern glazed door in bay to right at ground; harled with ashlar dressings to pediment, narrow windows at 1st floor, pediment spanning group with block finial at apex.

4-BAY GROUP TO OUTER LEFT: much altered; harled with ashlar dressings to eaves and pediment; 2-storey extensions to bays 1 and 3, door with rectangular plate glass fanlight to bay 3.

4-pane timber sash and case, plate glass timber sash and case and various metal and plastic modern windows. Grey slate undivided roof; grey slate piended roof to central 3-group to SW, also to group to immediate left and to outer left. Sloping grey slate roof at extension at bay 1 of grouped bays to outer left, slant to flat-roof to bay 3. Stacks to roof apex and to SW elevation, generally rendered with coping, except to left of central group to SW which is ashlar.

INTERIOR: not seen, 1994.

BOUNDARY WALLS: Droved ashlar with coping to NE, formerly with railings. Later harled with coping to SW.

Statement of Special Interest

The group appears on Wood's map of 1824 with no definition of property suggesting that it was then under one ownership. The map of 1856 shows the grounds in greater detail with a simple piece of axial planning stretching to Portobello High Street. W Baird mentions that a certain Mr Henry Scott, in 1830, after having made a great success at the Municipal Baths, then in Bath Street, "removed... to start hot water baths at Bellfield near the foot of Melville [now Bellfield] Street. The premises had been used for a number of years as the plumber shop of Mr William Marshall, but Scott had them fitted up, if not with elegance, at all events with comfort, and for many years down to about 1860 Scott's Baths were a favourite and well-known resort of visitors to Portobello. on his death in 1844 the business was successfully carried on by his widow..." (P 359) Then in 1868-73 a certain Reverend Mackintosh Mackay, a much acclaimed minister of the Free Church and Gaelic scholar, lived at No 3 Bellfield, thus allowing us to deduce that the baths were subdivided in to terraced houses after their closure, in a manner that is still followed today.

References

Bibliography

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