Description

James Milne, designed 1824. Extensive crescented terrace of 2-storey and basement, 3-bay townhouses in plain classical style with advanced 6-bay centre; continuous cast-iron 1st floor balconies and balustraded parapet. Sandstone ashlar, channelled at ground floor. Entrance platts oversailing basement area recess to street. Banded base course, banded cill course at 1st floor; continous cast-iron balconies at 1st floor; curved anthemion balconies to advanced centre bays; corniced eaves course with balustraded parapet above (forming blocking course to advanced centre bays). Inset doorways; timber doors and rectangular fanlights with twin circle glazing pattern. Moulded architraved and corniced windows at 1st floor. Some later dormers to attic, behind parapet.

SW (REAR) ELEVATION: coursed rubble with tooled ashlar rybats, lintels and cills. Regular fenestration.

Predominantly 12-pane glazing pattern in timber sash and case windows, predominantly 6- over 9-pane at 1st floor. Double-pitched roof; grey slates. Corniced ashlar ridge stacks with clay cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Cast-iron railings edging basement area recess to street; integrated lamp standards with large bowl shades.

INTERIOR: (selection of interiors seen 2010) classical decorative scheme, characterised by intricate plasterwork and large drawing rooms. Large entrance vestibules with cornicing, stone stairs with well-detailed cast iron balustrade and timber handrail, topped by large cupolas with decorative plasterwork beneath. Decorative plasterwork to principal rooms. Working window shutters. Some later conversion to flats.

Statement of Interest

Danube Street is a well proportioned terrace of townhouses with fine architectural detailing such as corniced 1st floor windows continuous balustraded parapet. The design is a major example of early to mid nineteenth century urban classicism in Edinburgh, forming part of the development of the land of Sir Henry Raeburn and designed by prominent architect James Milne. The terrace is slightly crescented to terminate the axis of the street on St Bernard's Cresent, with large corner blocks (see separate listings) providing a grand entramce from either end of the street. The terrace is an integral part of Edinburgh's New Town, which is an outstanding example of classical urban planning that was influential throughout Britain and Europe.

Henry Raeburn was born in Stockbridge and acquired the house and grounds of Deanhaugh through marriage, before adding adjacent land at St Bernard's. He occupied St Bernard's House until his death in 1823 when it was demolished to accommodate the growing residential development of the estate, making space for the eastern side of Carlton Street. The authorship of James Milne for the whole development is not certain, but the elevations for the principal streets bear the characteristic features of his designs elsewhere, such as Lynedoch place (see separate listing) where the streetfronting gardens found on Ann Street are also used.

James Milne was an architect and mason working in Edinburgh between 1809 and 1834 (when he moved to Newcastle). His other works in Edinburgh also include Lynedoch Place and Saxe-Coburg Place (see separate listings). Milne was also the author of The Elements of Architecture only the 1st volume of which was published in Edinburgh in 1812.

(List description updated at re-survey 2012).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17568389

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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