Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

2 and 4 New Skinner's Close (former Skinner's Hall) and 1, 2, 3 and 4 Coinyie House Close, EdinburghLB28325

Status: Designated

Documents

There are no additional online documents for this record.

Summary

Category
A
Date Added
14/12/1970
Last Date Amended
15/09/2021
Local Authority
Edinburgh
Planning Authority
Edinburgh
Burgh
Edinburgh
NGR
NT 26071 73601
Coordinates
326071, 673601

Description

The former Skinner's Hall (2 and 4 New Skinner's Close) is a three-storey and attic, former L-plan hall dating from 1643 with 19th century extensions to the south and west. It now forms a roughly T-plan residential property. It is rubble-built with tooled and polished dressings, chamfered arrises at the windows, and long and short quoins. The east elevation and the end gables are rendered.

The former Skinner's Hall has a semi-octagonal, capped stair tower with a roll-moulded, architraved doorway with cornice in the northwest re-entrant angle. There is a small splay at the west corner of the north gable. Single bays flank the stair tower and pedimented dormers (one with a spherical finial) break the roof eaves.

A four-bay tenement block (built around 1800) adjoins to the west of the former Skinner's Hall and has a shallower roof pitch, a central wallhead gable and a chimneystack to the apex of the west gable. Shouldered and pedimented dormers break the roof eaves to the rear (courtyard) elevation. A squared and snecked rubble-built tenement block (built around 1850) adjoins to the south of the former Skinner's Hall and has a shallower roof pitch. There are pedimented dormers breaking the roof eaves at the third floor. The south gable is partially crow-stepped and has a broad end chimneystack and a square advanced chimneystack to southwest corner.

There is a raised terrace at the rear of 2 and 4 New Skinner's Close and forestairs with iron railings attached to the west elevation of 1 to 4 Coinyie House Close leading to a paved courtyard area and former drying green.

The building has predominantly 12- and 16-pane glazing in replacement timber sash and case frames. The roof is covered in graded, grey Scottish slate and there are coped end and wall-head gable chimneystacks in a mixture of sizes. There are cast-iron rainwater goods.

The building was converted to flats in around 1981. Internally, numbers 2 and 4 New Skinner's Close are understood to retain two 17th century moulded fireplace surrounds at first floor level and an 18th century wooden chimneypiece with urns and flower motif (Buildings of Scotland).

Statement of Special Interest

Numbers 2 and 4 New Skinner's Close is a good, rare survival of 17th century architecture in this area of Edinburgh. The exterior of this imposing building retains a significant amount of its earlier character and is notable for its fine rubble construction and semi-octagonal, re-entrant angle stair-tower. The splayed opening on the north gable probably served as a lookout along the axis of the former close to the north (now blocked and rendered).

This building was built as Skinner's Hall during the early years of the 17th century. It is located north of the site of the former Edinburgh Mint known as Coinyie House (demolished after 1867). Skinner's Hall was known as Cross House from the 19th century until well into the 20th century. It was converted into the United Industrial School around 1847 and the extension to the south was added around 1850. The building later became St. Anne's Roman Catholic School until the 1970s after which the hall was used as a theatre space for a time. The building was converted to housing by the City Architect's Department in 1981.

The statutory address was updated and the description revised as part of the Edinburgh Holyrood Ward Resurvey in 2007-08. Previously listed as '31 Blackfriars Street (part of St Annes RC School)'. In 2011, the statutory address was updated from '3 and 4 South Gray's Close' to '3 and 4 Coinyie House Close'.

Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2021. Previously listed as '2-4 (Even Nos) New Skinner's Close (Former Skinner's Hall) including 3 And 4 Coinyie House Close'.

References

Bibliography

Canmore: http://canmore.org.uk/ CANMORE IDs 52336, 52333, 113543 and 117865.

Maps

Edgar W. (1742) The plan of the city and castle of Edinburgh, at https://maps.nls.uk/view/216390237.

Thomson, C. (1820) Plan of the city of Edinburgh including all the latest and intended improvements, at https://maps.nls.uk/view/216443301.

Ordnance Survey (surveyed 1852, published 1853) Edinburghshire, sheet 2 (includes: Edinburgh). 6 inches to the mile. 1st Edition. Southampton: Ordnance Survey.

Ordnance Survey (surveyed 1877, published 1885) Edinburghshire, sheet 2 (includes: Edinburgh). 6 inches to the mile. 1st Edition. Southampton: Ordnance Survey.

Ordnance Survey (revised 1893-94, published 1896) Edinburghshire III.8 (Edinburgh). 25 inches to the mile. 2nd Edition. Southampton: Ordnance Survey.

Printed sources

Dennison, E P. (2005) Holyrood and Canongate: A Thousand Years of History. Edinburgh: Birlinn, p.150.

Gifford, J., McWilliam, C. and Walker D. (1991) The Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh. London: Penguin, pp.220-221.

Online sources

Dictionary of Scottish Architects, www.scottisharchitects.org.uk (accessed 10.05.2007).

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

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Printed: 29/03/2024 10:28