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Latitude: 55.9504 / 55°57'1"N
Longitude: -3.2157 / 3°12'56"W
OS Eastings: 324181
OS Northings: 673707
OS Grid: NT241737
Mapcode National: GBR 8JG.4F
Mapcode Global: WH6SL.KPYQ
Plus Code: 9C7RXQ2M+5P
Entry Name: 3 Chester Street, Edinburgh
Listing Name: 3-21 (Odd Numbers) Chester Street
Listing Date: 14 December 1970
Category: B
Source: Historic Scotland
Source ID: 366512
Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB28517
Building Class: Cultural
Also known as: Edinburgh, 3 Chester Street
ID on this website: 200366512
Location: Edinburgh
County: Edinburgh
Town: Edinburgh
Electoral Ward: City Centre
Traditional County: Midlothian
Tagged with: Terrace house
John Lessels, 1862-70. 3-storey attic and basements, extensive astylar renaissance terrace with unified townhouse façade and main-door and common stair flats behind, slightly advanced 4-storey corner blocks; later ashlar attic storey to W corner block. Basement area to street including some vaulted cellars and retaining walls. Sandstone ashlar; droved ashlar at basement, channelled ashlar at ground floor. Entrance platts oversailing basements. Banded base course between basement and ground floor. Banded cill courses at 1st and 2nd floors; E corner block; moulded cill courses; bracketed cills at 2nd floor. Moulded cill course at attic, fielded panels alternating with windows above. Corniced consoled eaves course. Architraved windows, corniced at 1st floor. W corner block: stepped parapet with plain fielded panels. Recessed round arched surrounds at ground floor; corniced and pedimented at 1st floor. Centre terrace: architraved windows at 1st floor, segementally arched and with small rosette to cornice in alternate openings. Moulded architraved windows at 2nd floor. Cast-iron balconies.
Plate glass in timber sash and case windows. Timber 6-panel doors in round arched surrounds with plain fanlight. Additional narrow sidelights to W corner block. Double pitch M-section roof; grey slates. Corniced ashlar gable and ridge stacks with modern clay cans. Cast-iron railings on ashlar coping stone edging basement recess to street. Cast-iron rainwater goods.
This is a well detailed and largely unaltered example of a Victorian terrace, designed by John Lessels. The uninterrupted run of terraces has been affected little by later alterations, and is amongst the finest of its type. The Astylar Renaissance style of the block is more characteristic of the earlier parts of the Walker Estate whilst the rosettes are characteristic of a more decorated Victorian style. The east corner block is also clearly reminiscent of Robert Brown's designs for earlier parts of the Walker Estate (see separate listings for Melville Street).
John Lessels secured the control over the Walker Estate in 1850, only 4 years after he had set up practice on his own in 1846. He later went on to work for the City Improvement Trust in Edinburgh, and gained a wide experience of residential design with further designs in both the old and new towns of Edinburgh as well as some large commissions such as significant alterations to George Watson's Hospital.
(List description revised 2009 as part of re-survey.)
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