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Summary

Description

W H Playfair, 1821-23, and William and Lewis A Wallace, early 19th century (India Street). 43-bay crescent flanked by tangential terraces. Polished ashlar sandstone; V-jointed rustication at principal floors; droved ashlar sandstone at basements. Base course at principal floor; cill course at 1st and 2nd floors; cornice and blocking course at 2nd floors of linking blocks, continued as cornice at 2nd floors of central and terminal pavilions; cornice and blocking course at 3rd floors of central and terminal pavilions. Ashlar steps and entrance platts oversailing basements.

N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 43-bay principal elevation, comprising 4-storey and basement, 9-bay central pavilion, flanked by pair of 3-storey and basement, 12-bay linking blocks, flanked in turn by pair of 4-storey and basement, 5-bay terminal pavilions. Doors in bays 3rd and 4th from left and 3rd from right, at principal floor to central pavilion; windows in remaining bays at principal floor, regular fenestration to floors above. E linking blocks comprising doors to every 3rd bay from central pavilion at principal floor; windows in remaining bays, regular fenestration to floors above. W linking block comprising windows in 4 bays at centre at principal floor, flanked by doors to left and right, flanked in turn by pairs of windows to left and right, with doors to outer left and right; regular fenestration to floors above. Predominantly 6-panel timber doors, with plate glass rectangular fanlights, decorative fanlights to Nos 13 and 19. Terminal pavilions comprising doors centred at principal floor, flanked by windows in remaining bays; regular fenestration to floors above. Roman Doric pilasters flanking 5 bays at centre of central pavilion, at 1st and 2nd floors, and flanking bays at 1st and 2nd floors of terminal pavilions; panelled pilasters flanking 5 bays at centre of central pavilion, at 3rd floor, and flanking bays at 3rd floors of terminal pavilions. Flagged basement area with predominantly vertically boarded timber doors to cellars.

NW (1-6 CIRCUS GARDENS) ELEVATION: 15-bay elevation, comprising 3-storey, attic and basement, 9-bay linking block, flanked by pair of 4-storey and basement, 3-bay terminal pavilions. Linking block comprising 3 3-bay houses, with doors in bays to left, windows in bays at centre and right; regular fenestration to floors above. Terminal pavilions comprising doors in bays to right, at principal floor, windows in bays at centre and left; regular fenestration to floors above. 6-panel timber doors with plate glass rectangular fanlights. Roman Doric pilasters flanking bays at 1st and 2nd floors of terminal pavilions; panelled pilasters flanking bays at 3rd floors of terminal pavilions. Flagged basement area with predominantly vertically boarded timber doors to cellars.

W (29-33 INDIA STREET) ELEVATION: William and Lewis A Wallace, early 19th century. 4-storey and basement, 7-bay near-symmetrical tenement in terraced site. Band course at principal, 1st and 3rd floors; cill course at 1st and 2nd floors; cornice and blocking course at 3rd floor. Round arched doorpieces centred at principal floor, and in bay 3rd from right at principal floor; 6-panel doors with radial semicircular fanlights; regular fenestration to remaining bays at principal floor, and to floors above, with blind windows at all floors in penultimate bay from left. Cast-iron window guards to enlarged 1st floor windows of No 29. Flagged basement area with vertically boarded timber doors to cellars. S elevation obscured by adjoining terrace (31 India Street, see separate listing).

NE (1-9A SOUTH EAST CIRCUS PLACE) ELEVATION: 12-bay elevation, comprising 3-storey, attic and basement, 6-bay linking block, flanked by pair of 4-storey and basement, 3-bay terminal pavilions. Linking block comprising doors in bays to left of centre and to outer right at principal floor; windows in remaining bays, with later bipartite window in bay to outer left, and small-pane window to left of door. Roman Doric pilasters flanking bays at 1st and 2nd floors of terminal pavilions; panelled pilasters flanking bays at 3rd floors of terminal pavilions. Blind window in penultimate bay from left at 2nd floor. Flagged basement area with predominantly vertically boarded timber doors to cellars.

E (40-48A HOWE STREET) ELEVATION: 4-storey and basement, 6-bay tenement in terraced site. Pilastraded and corniced shop fronts at principal floor, comprising door at centre, flanked by 12-pane window to left, common stair door to right, flanked in turn by pair of 3-bay shop fronts to outer left and right,; cill course at 1st and 2nd floors; band course, cornice and blocking course at 3rd floor. Shop fronts comprising 2-leaf timber door at centre, flanked by 12-pane window to left, 6-panel common stair door to right, flanked in turn by pair of 3-bay shop fronts to outer left and right, former with 8-panel 2-leaf timber door flanked by 12-pane windows, latter comprising recessed doorpiece with later part-glazed timber door and plate glass windows; decorative rectangular fanlights to doors. S elevation obscured by adjoining terrace (Nos 32-36, even Nos, Howe Street, see separate listing). Flagged basement area with predominantly vertically boarded timber doors to cellars.

Predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate M-roofs. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Pairs of polygonal piended dormers to Nos 3 and 5 Circus Gardens, pair of recessed piended dormers to No 4 Circus Gardens (NW elevation); polygonal piended dormer and pair of box dormers to linking block at South East Circus Place (NE elevation). Window guards to all 1st floor windows, except at Howe Street, and to penultimate bay from left to South East Circus Place linking block. Variety of broached and polished ashlar ridge, gablehead and shouldered wallhead stacks; coped with circular cans.

INTERIORS: not seen, 1997, but some evidence of working panelled shutters. Square plan to No 1 Royal Circus, with plain groin vault between segmental arches; segmental vault to No 21 Royal Circus; decorative timber and plaster work incorporating Jacobean strapwork and Tudor roses to No 4 Circus Gardens.

RAILINGS AND LAMPS: ashlar copes, surmounted by cast-iron railings with fleur-de-lis balusters and quasi-Maltese finials to Royal Circus, Circus Gardens and India Street elevations; fleur-de-lis balusters and pineapple finials to Howe Street and Nos 1-5 South East Circus Place elevations. Cast-iron railing-mounted lamps with glass globes.

MEWS:

24 JAMAICA STREET NORTH LANE: earlier 19th century. 2-storey, 4-bay mews building. Coursed rubble, with polished and droved ashlar dressings.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: timber door to outer right at ground, with small light to left; 2-leaf vertically-boarded part-glazed sliding garage doors centred at ground, with timber runner. Windows breaking eaves in stone dormerheads, at attic.

W GABLE: predominantly blank, with modern garage door in stone coped rendered wall, adjoining at ground.

Predominantly plate glass timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roof. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Coped skews.

Statement of Special Interest

Part of the Second New Town A Group, a significant surviving part of one of the most important and best preserved examples of urban planning in Britain.

Playfair executed his drawings for Royal Circus in 1820, the year after he was commissioned by the Heriot Trust; building began in 1821 and was completed two years later. Although Reid and Sibbald suggested a central road through the circus as a continuation of Great King Street, Playfair kept the route of the existing road to Stockbridge, which ran diagonally through the circus from the SE to the NW. The fact that the circus was built on a hillside made Britton comment, in MODERN ATHENS, 'it enhances the singular and picturesque grouping of the elegant streets which lead and look into the circus, and harmonizes so well with their variety, both in architecture and situation, as to make the blemish - if it must so be called - essential to the beauty of the whole'. The scale of Royal Circus matches the grandeur of Drummond Place, which is at the other end of Great King Street, the principal avenue of the Second New Town.

Royal Circus, SE, NE and NW Circus Place and Circus Gardens were part of the first extension of the New Town planned by Reid and Sibbald in 1802, and were feued by the Heriot Trust. There is a small rear extension and some internal remodelling of No 4 Circus Gardens by Kinross and Tarbolton, 1900. The later bipartite window at No 5 South East Circus Place is surrounded by polished ashlar, which stands out from the uniform V-jointed rustication of the remainder of the principal floor.

References

Bibliography

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