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Summary

Description

Circa 1790. 4-storey and attic, pair of 6-bay tenements with altered, shops to ground, projecting at nos 12-16. Ashlar to street (W) elevation, rubble to rear and S side elevation with dressed margins to rear. Raised cills, cill course to 1st storey, cornice. Off-centre steps lead to 6-panel timber entrance door with round-arched, architraved and key-stoned doorway. Pair of pedimented, 2-window dormers with gable stacks. Other, small piended dormers. Timber shop front to far left with consoled fascia and central round-arched, Corinthian columned entrance doorway with flanking windows with retractable awnings above. Pair of 2-window bowed bays to rear.

Predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case windows to upper storeys and plate glass to ground. Coped gable and ridge stacks. Grey slates.

Statement of Special Interest

This late 18th century row of tenements is well proportioned with significant streetscape value and has little alteration to the upper storeys. The tenement contains some detailing in the raised cills and the pair of pedimented dormers and is also notable for the relatively small amount of alteration to the rear of the property. The projecting single storey shops to the ground were most likely added in the late 19th century and are a familiar feature of Edinburgh tenements. The Classical style with little detail is typical of Edinburgh tenements built in the late 18th century and 8-16 Nicolson Street forms an important component in character of this part of the city.

This section of Nicolson Street dates from late 18th century. The section of the street immediately to the South of this had been developed not long before on ground belonging to Lady Nicolson. In 1785, the South Bridge Act paved the way for a new bridge to be built as a link between the Old Town and the newly developing area South of the City. This bridge was to join the new Nicolson Street to the North Bridge. Lady Nicolson's old house, which stood close to the site of these tenements was to be demolished in order to make the link as straight as possible. The South Bridge was opened for traffic in 1788 and it is thought that these tenements date form a time shortly afterwards.

List description revised as part of Edinburgh Holyrood Ward resurvey 2007-08.

References

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