Description

James Gillespie Graham, designed 1822. 3-storey and basement, 27-bay slightly curved symmetrical classical palace block on falling ground, comprising advanced 9-bay central pavilion, with central 3 bays and bays to outer left and right advanced again, flanked by pair of 6-bay linking terraces, flanked in turn by pair of advanced 3-bay terminal pavilions. Polished ashlar sandstone; V-jointed rustication at principal floor, returned and terminated at side elevations. Base course; band course between basement and principal floor; corniced frieze at impost level at central and terminal pavilions; cill course at 1st floor; cornice at 1st floor of linking blocks; string course, cornice and blocking course at 2nd floor of terminal pavilions. Ashlar steps and entrance platts oversailing basement.

N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION, CENTRAL PAVILION: 9-bay central pavilion; Doric pilasters flanking bays at 1st and 2nd floors at central 3 bays and bays to outer left and right; central 3-bays surmounted by blank pediment. 4-panel timber doors with plate glass semicircular fanlights in bays to right of centre, and at outer right at principal floor, 4-panel timber door with radial semicircular fanlight in bay to outer left at principal floor. Windows in round-arched recesses in bays at centre and left of centre at principal floor, regular fenestration in remaining bays at principal floor and to floors above. Flagged basement area.

N ELEVATION, LINKING TERRACES: pair of 6-bay linking terraces, comprising 4 3-bay houses. 4-panel timber doors with rectilinear design rectangular fanlights in bays to right at principal floor, at Nos 2 and 3; 4-panel timber doors with plate glass rectangular fanlights in bay to right (No 7) and bay to left (No 8) at principal floor. Windows in remaining bays at principal floor; regular fenestration to floors above; architraved windows with cornices at 1st floor, architraved windows at 2nd floor. Nos 2, 3 and 8 with floor added. Flagged basement area.

N ELEVATION, TERMINAL PAVILIONS: pair of 3-bay terminal pavilions; Doric pilasters flanking bays at 1st and 2nd floors. 4-panel timber doors with radial semicircular fanlights in bays to left at principal floor; windows in round-arched recesses in remaining bays at principal floor; regular fenestration to floors above. Flagged basement areas.

E ELEVATION: 2-bay; coursed rubble with broached dressings and tooled long and short quoins. Irregular fenestration; windows in bay to left at principal and 1st floors; leaded stair windows in bay to right between basement and principal floor, between principal and 1st floors, and between 1st and 2nd floors; infilled window in bay to left at principal floor.

W ELEVATION: 2-bay; predominantly coursed rubble, with broached dressings and tooled long and short quoins. Single storey piended addition at SW corner. Regular fenestration to all floors, with modern glazed 2-leaf door with multi-pane rectangular fanlight.

REAR ELEVATION: not seen, 1998.

Predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate M-roofs. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Broached ashlar ridge stacks, coursed rubble wallhead stacks, coursed rubble L-plan stack at SE corner, some with cornices; coped, with circular cans.

INTERIORS: not seen, 1998; No 2 with Gothic parlour at rear.

RAILINGS AND LAMPS: ashlar copes surmounted by cast-iron railings with spear-headed finials. Cast-iron railing-mounted lamps with glass globes.

MEWS:

8-11 (INCLUSIVE NOS) GLOUCESTER SQUARE: earlier 19th century. Single storey and attic L-plan mews buildings. Coursed rubble with droved ashlar dressings.

N (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: row of 4 mews buildings, No 8, to outer left, recessed and separate, comprising pair of modern garage doors centred at ground floor, panelled timber door with 3-pane rectangular fanlight, to left, window to right; pair of square dormerheads breaking eaves at attic. Nos 9 and 10 advanced at ground floor; No 9 comprising modern timber door with plate glass rectangular fanlight, centred at ground floor, flanked by modern garage door to left, vertically-boarded timber garage door with glazed upper panels and 4-pane rectangular fanlight, to right; bipartite piended dormerhead breaking eaves to left at attic, gabletted dormerhead breaking eaves to right at attic. No 10 comprising pair of modern garage doors at ground floor, vertically-boarded folding doors, with glazed upper panels, to left; bipartite piended dormerhead breaking eaves at attic to left, peinded dormerhead breaking eaves at attic to right. No 11 comprising modern timber door with 3-pane rectangular fanlight and part-glazed infill, to former opening to right at ground floor, vertically boarded modern garage door to left at ground floor. 3 windows irregularly spaced at attic; pair of modern skylights.

W ELEVATION: 4-bay mews building (No 12), comprising 4 vertically-boarded timber garage doors at ground floor, with glazed upper panels to pair at left. 3 irregularly spaced timber sash and case windows at attic; modern skylight to left.

S ELEVATION: blank gable.

GLOUCESTER LANE ELEVATION: 5-bay rear elevation of No 12, becoming 10C Gloucester Lane, comprising modern timber door and modern timber garage door with glazed upper panels and stone lintel, to right at ground floor; pair of infilled openings to left of centre at ground floor; 5 irregularly spaced windows at attic, including rectangular dormerhead breaking eaves at outer right. Coped rubble wall to right, with timber pedestrian gate to outer left, and timber vehicular access gate to left of centre, adjoining 1 Doune Terrace at outer right.

Variety of timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roofs. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Variety of coped and corniced stacks, with circular cans.

Statement of Interest

Part of the Edinburgh New Town A Group, a significant surviving part of one of the most important and best preserved examples of urban planning in Britain. The Moray Estate was designed for the 10th Earl of Moray (1771-1848). He inherited the 13 acre site from his father, after it was acquired from the Heriot Trust in 1782, and decided to feu the property for development in 1822. The complicated plan with the crescent, oval and polygon of Randolph Crescent, Ainslie Place and Moray Place respectively, conjoins the New Town with the Second New Town. Building was completed in 1830-31.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17568650

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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