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

1-41 (ODD NUMBERS) MELVILLE STREET, 1-6 (INCLUSIVE) MELVILLE PLACE, INCLUDING RAILINGS AND ARCHED LAMP HOLDERSLB29324

Status: Designated

Documents

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Summary

Category
A
Group Category Details
100000019 - (see Notes)
Date Added
14/12/1970
Supplementary Information Updated
14/06/2019
Local Authority
Edinburgh
Planning Authority
Edinburgh
Burgh
Edinburgh
NGR
NT 24423 73763
Coordinates
324423, 673763

Description

Robert Brown, 1814. Extensive classical terrace comprising unified façade of 3-storey, and basement 2-bay townhouses with main-door and common stair flats behind, advanced off-centre 9-bay centre pavilion block with 3-bay Ionic columned centre-piece and rounded corner block to E, shops and 5-bay tenement block returning to Melville Place; later slate hung attic additions. Basement area to street including some vaulted cellars and retaining walls. Sandstone ashlar, channelled at ground floor, vermiculated basements to central pavilion. Banded base, cill and string courses at ground and 1st floors; corniced cill and eaves courses at 2nd floor (some 2nd floor windows meet string course). Breakfronted cast-iron balconies on foliate brackets at 1st floor windows.

CENTRAL PAVILION: terminating axis to Stafford Street. Symmetrical. Advanced 9 bays with 3-bay tetrastyle Giant Order columned and balustraded centrepiece; paired outer columns. Central rounded arched doorway, narrow sidelights, radial and mouchette glazing to fanlight; flanking round arched windows in rounded recesses at ground floor. Architraved and corniced window surrounds, central pedimented window at 1st floor. Plain entablature, dentilled cornice, balustraded and stepped parapet with swagged bas-relief to centre; segmental arched bi-partite dormers above. End bays further advanced to flanking houses; radial fanlights over doorways; architraved and corniced 1st floor window above; stepped parapet and balustrade.

E CORNER BLOCK: consisting of 3-storey, 5-bay townhouse (No. 1 Melville Street) with additional recessed curved bay to corner, and 5-bay classical tenement to Melville Place; advanced shops at ground floor, wrapping around corner. Attics and basements to Melville Street, ashlar attic storey to Melville Place. Small stepped parapet to centre. Melville Street: Stepped parapet to flanking and corner bays with bas relief panels. Recessed round arched surround to ground floor window on left. Round arched doorway with narrow sidelights, and fanlight with radial glazing. Architraved and corniced windows at 1st floor, pedimented central bay. Curved bay: recessed round arched surround with blind balustrade, with architraved, bracketed and consoled window at 1st floor, architraved surround at 2nd floor with blind sidelights.

Predominantly 6- over 9-pane and 12-pane windows in timber sash and case to right of centrepiece at Melville Street, with plate glass in timber sash and case to left of centrepiece and at Melville Place; lying-pane glazing to curved corner bay; plate glass to shop fronts. Cast-iron railings on ashlar coping stone edging basement recess at Melville Street. Double pitch M-section roof; grey slates. Corniced ashlar parapet and gable stacks with modern clay cans.

INTERIOR: interior typified by highly decorative classical scheme with detailed cornicing, converted for later office and residential use (2008).

ARCHED LAMP HOLDERS: decorative cast-iron arches, with lamp holder to centre. Glass lamp bowls to nos. 15, 27, 37, 39. Original cast-iron serpent lamp extinguisher to railings throughout.

Statement of Special Interest

A-group with Melville Street, Melville Memorial and Melville Crescent (see separate listings). Melville Street is the central axis of the Walker Estate development and is the grandest part of the residential scheme. It is largely unaltered and the monumental impact on the streetscape is retained as it is set within a wide avenue. The fine classical detailing of the centrepiece provides a dramatic terminating view to Stafford Street. Original features are retained, the best of which are the serpent lamp extinguishers coiled in the railings by the entrance to most of the houses.

By 1825 Melville Street was nearly complete and formed the centrepiece of the Walker Estate which was owned by Sir Patrick Walker and developed by him to a plan by Robert Brown. Melville Street is one of the earliest parts of the scheme to be built and provided an indication of the high class residential scheme that Walker intended to create.

Robert Brown was an experienced architect, and by the time he was involved with the deigns for the Walker Estate he had already designed several other urban schemes, including between 1810 and 1830 laying out streets in Portobello on land belonging to the Marques of Abercorn. His other notable works include Newington and St. Leonard's church (now The Queen's Hall) and the rearrangement of the interiors for Yester House on behalf of the Marques of Tweeddale. Robert Brown worked on a number of smaller projects in the New Town but the cohesive planning of the Walker estate is amongst one of the best examples of his work. He was especially competent in the design of corner pavilions and parades of shops, as can be seen in his work at North West Circus Place (see separate listing).

(List description revised 2009 as part of re-survey.)

References

Bibliography

Ordnance Survey, Large Scale Town Plan, (1849-53); John Wood, Plan of the City of Edinburgh, including all the latest and intended improvements (1823); J Gifford, C McWilliam, D M Walker, The Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh (1988) p. 375; Youngson, The Making of Classical Edinburgh, (1988) p. 216; West End Community Trust, Edinburgh's West End, A Short History, (1984).

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.

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