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Summary

Description

John Watherston and Sons (probably James Watherston), 1888. 3-storey basements and attic, 4-bay pair of townhouses in plain classical style. Basement area to street including some vaulted cellars and retaining walls. Sandstone ashlar; droved ashlar to basement. Entrance platts oversailing basements. Corniced canted bays at basement, ground and 1st floors. Banded base course at ground floor. Moulded string course above windows and corniced eaves course at 2nd floor. Prominent corniced ashlar doorpieces with sidelights, plain and leaded rectangular fanlights above lintel, all within bracket-shaped roll-moulding; shallow round arched pediment above. Moulded architraved surrounds at 1st floor, with moulded cills to left. Architraved surrounds at 2nd floor with slightly advanced shaped aprons and bracketed cills. Later rectangular dormers to attic. Fine interior decorative scheme in place.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: coursed squared and snecked sandstone with some ashlar margins. Some later additions projecting into garden at ground floor. Irregular fenestration with some tripartite windows.

INTERIOR: ornate classical interior. Large entrance hall with cantilevered dog-leg stair to rear. Main rooms to front and left at 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors. Detailed plasterwork throughout with deep cornices. Ornate strapwork to cupolas, maritime theme to No. 17. Highly detailed doorpieces throughout pilastered and pedimented. Some timber panelling and timber rails and balusters to main stair. Speaking tubes and bellboard in No. 17. Later alterations predominantly to basements and 2nd and 3rd floors with lowered ceilings and some partitions.

Plate glass in timber sash and case windows. Double pitch M-section roof. Corniced ashlar ridge stacks with modern clay cans. Cast-iron railings edging basement recess to street. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

Statement of Special Interest

Well-detailed townhouses, with well proportioned details, probably by James Watherston working the practice of his father, John Watherston and Sons. The townhouses show a plain but bold use of architectural detail with particularly striking doorpieces. The composition and especially the doorpieces are reminiscent of the work of Robert Rowand Anderson. The doorpieces are also characteristic of the work of Peddie and Kinnear on Rothesay Place (see separate listing) where the doorpiece is integrated with the windows at 1st floor.

The Watherston's practice built large parts of Edinburgh's West End speculatively, often conforming to the plans of the Walker and Heriot Trusts. The practice functioned as both architects and builders, and as well as their work in Edinburgh the firm also did country house work in the same way.

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

References

Bibliography

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