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Summary

Description

John Chesser, 1869-1876. 2-storey with basement (Nos 24-21, no basement thereafter) and attic terrace of 2-bay houses with canted, mansard attic bays. Polished, channelled sandstone ashlar with polished dressings; droved sandstone to basement. Base course; band course at ground, corniced at canted bay; string course; banded eaves course; cornice. Elaborately foliated consoled cornice to doorpieces comprising panelled timber door (often 2-leaf or part-glazed) with fanlight and margin-paned surround; block cill and consoled cornice to margins to window above doorpiece; round-headed, finialled, keystoned timber-framed dormer at roof above; tripartite dormer to polygonal mansard roof of canted bay, comprising smaller, round-headed, finialled, keystoned dormers flanking central dormer, detailed as above; coped skews.

W (FRONT) ELEVATION: alternate pairs of houses slightly advanced (Nos 11 and 12, 15 and 16, 19 and 20, 23 and 24); window beneath entrance platt to bay to right at basement (Nos 24-21), door and fanlight at centre and window to central face of canted bay at left; doorpiece to bay to right at ground; single window to bay above; 3-light canted bays at ground and 1st floors, bay to left; 3-light canted dormer at bay to left at roof (No 24). No 11 3-bay comprising doorpiece to bay to centre at ground, single window above and round-headed, finialled, keystoned timber-framed dormer at roof above; 3-light canted bays to flanking bays, both floors, with modernised mansard dormers containing modern multi-paned glazing at roof.

N (DOUGLAS CRESCENT) ELEVATION: 4-bay, 2-storey with attic and basement elevation at right, comprising advanced, 2-bay gabled bay at right, with single window at left at basement, pair of windows (window at right blocked, with margins and bracketed block cill) at ground, single window at outer left, 1st floor; blocked round-headed window with margins and block cill to gable; recessed bay to left, comprising window at basement and round-headed, key-stoned wood-framed dormer at attic; canted bay at outer left, comprising 3 lights at each floor, including canted dormer at attic. 4-bay, single storey elevation (No 1A Douglas Crescent) at left: bays marked by advanced piers; bipartite window at outer right; deep-set panelled timber door to bay to right; plain bay to left; modern garage door to bay to outer left; pier at outer left adjoins No 1 Douglas Crescent.

S (EGLINTON CRESCENT) ELEVATION: 3-bay 2-storey elevation, comprising single, gabled bay set at angle at left, 2-bay section at right, with pitched roofed single storey extension adjoining at right, with screen wall beyond. Margins to centred, blocked windows at each floor of gabled bay; consoled cornice at 1st floor window; window to gable round-headed; gablehead stack. Door at ground to left of 2-bay section, margin-paned window above; window to outer right at ground and to 1st floor above, the latter with consoled cornice and small flanking window on left; bipartite dormer above with segmental-arched pediment. Narrow light at outer left of single storey extension; wide, metal-framed casement window to centre; 2 large modern, skylights to roof. Coped screen wall adjoining at right, with boarded doors and flanking pilasters to outer right and left.

Principally 2-pane timber sash and case glazing (multi-pane to No 18). Grey slate roof; fish-scale tiling to mansards; coped, channelled sandstone ashlar mutual and gablehead stacks with tall cans, predominantly original, moulded octagonal; cast-iron rainwater goods.

RAILINGS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: spike-headed railings to street (set in coping), and to ashlar steps and entrance platts, Nos 21-24 and No 1A Douglas Crescent; modern fencing and railings to Nos 11-20. Coped, stugged, squared and snecked sandstone ashlar boundary walls to street.

Statement of Special Interest

Part of New Town A-Group. John Chesser was the Superintendent of Works to George Heriot's Hospital between 1858 and 1889. During his term of office large quantities of Heriot's land were feued, including land in the W of Edinburgh. Chesser was responsible for preparing ground and elevation plans for the new buildings. Opulent interiors were designed for many of the houses. Magdala Crescent was built the year after the British Empire captured the capital of Abyssinia, Magdala, hence its name.

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