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Summary

Description

1790-1800. Classical, near-symmetrical, 4-bay, 2-storey and attic detached (see Notes) villa with early 20th century extension to rear. Droved ashlar with polished quoins and cills (snecked rubble with droved quoins to NW side; harled with stugged quoins and polished cills to rear). Base course; eaves cornice. Long and short quoins (raised to principal elevation). Predominantly regular fenestration.

NE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: timber-panelled door with letterbox fanlight to inner left bay. To outer left and right, 2 later curved slate-hung dormers to roof.

SW (REAR) ELEVATION: 5-bay elevation; full width 2-storey extension with 3-storey bowed projection to centre. Flanking bow to right and left, timber-panelled door with letterbox fanlight and small open flat roof porch. Bipartite windows to outer left bay; to outer left and right 2 curved dormers to roof.

GLAZING etc: 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows to front elevation and all dormers; 4-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows to rear. Grey slate haffits and piend roofs to dormers; 2 rooflights to centre to principal elevation. Pitched roof with extension forming catslide to rear; graded grey slate; stone skews and skewputts. 1 corniced, rendered gablehead stack with circular and octangular cans to NW gable; 1 corniced, rendered gable-end stack with circular cans to SE gable.

BOUNDARY WALL, GATEPIERS AND RAILINGS: enclosing front garden, rendered wall with droved coping, surmounted by spear-head and urn finialled cast-iron railings; painted, tooled ashlar gatepiers with pyramidal caps, 1 pair to centre, single pier to outer left and right corners.

Statement of Special Interest

The simple classical elegance of this small house emphasises its importance as an early example of the suburban villa in Edinburgh. It also has streetscape and historical value as an element of the Gayfield estate development.

It is possible that 1 and 3 Gayfield Square was designed by the architect Alexander Laing; an advert in the Edinburgh Evening Courant in 1791 proclaimed that Laing was selling a villa in Gayfield Square, but did not specify which one. In 1820, Laing himself was living at 6 Gayfield Square (see separate List description). It therefore seems likely that Laing designed at least one, and possibly all, of the villas on the south side of Gayfield Square.

The villa was originally semi-detached; physical evidence of this can be found on the SE gable, in the projecting skew and extra masonry extending beyond the quoins. The adjoining villa gained an additional wing to the rear in the first half of the 19th century, and was then further extended/ demolished and rebuilt in the second half of the century to form a police station. The site was later cleared to make way for the current police station, built in 1961.

The 20th century extension to the rear of 1 and 3 Gayfield Place is likely to have been built in 1910, as Dean of Guild records for that year show a petition for extensions at this address; unfortunately the plans and petition are currently (2002) unlocatable. The front elevation once had a doorpiece of fluted Roman Doric pilasters and entablature, but this was removed relatively recently.

1 and 3 Gayfield Square forms part of the Gayfield Estate, so called because it stands on the former grounds of Gayfield House (East London Street; 1763-5, still extant; separately listed Category A). These lands were feued by the solicitor James Jollie from 1785. Building began on either side of the drive to the house; the building line on the SW of Gayfield Square marks the edge of the drive. These developments began to establish the form of Gayfield Square, which forms the heart of the estate. It was part of Jollie's plan from the beginning that this should be so; in January 1783 he advertised that the Gayfield grounds were to be feued for building purposes 'according to a plan.' His advertisment promised prospective feuars 'remarkably pleasant' rustic situation and 'uncommonly beautiful views' in addition to 'the privilege of the area of the square'. Sasines record that '..the area of Gayfield Place [is] to remain an open space for all time coming.'

References

Bibliography

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