37, 39 Leith Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Entry Name: 37, 39 Leith Street, Edinburgh

Listing Name: 37-43 (Odd Nos) Leith Street and 8 and 12 Calton Road

Listing Date: 19 December 1979

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 368668

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB29253

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Edinburgh, 37, 39 Leith Street

ID on this website: 200368668

Location: Edinburgh

County: Edinburgh

Town: Edinburgh

Electoral Ward: City Centre

Traditional County: Midlothian

Tagged with: Tenement

Description

Late 18th century. Wedge-plan tenement on sloping corner site; 4 storeys, basement and attic, 4-bay elevation to Leith Street, single bay bowed elevation to N corner, 5 bay elevation to Calton Road. Droved ashlar with polished margins (coursed square rubble to Calton Road). Regular fenestration.

NW (LEITH STREET) ELEVATION: 3 modern timber shopfronts with recessed doorways to ground floor. To upper floors, cill course; 2 single windows at inner bays flanked at outer right and left by tripartite windows. Eaves cornice, blocking course. 2 dormers to roof.

N (CORNER) ELEVATION: steps down to basement doorway and Calton Road. To upper floors; central window with apron and projecting moulded cill below.

E (CALTON ROAD) ELEVATION: predominantly regular fenestration; some alterations and insertions to lower floors; blind windows to upper storeys of outer right bay.

GLAZING etc: plate glass glazing in timber frames to ground floor; predominantly 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows to upper floors; 4-pane glazing to side sections of tripartite windows. To dormers, grey slate piend roofs, haffits and fascias. 2 rooflights between dormers. Pitched roof with piended section to N; graded grey slate. Corniced rendered ridge stack with circular cans; corniced rubble and rendered wallhead stack to E elevation.

Statement of Interest

Part of an 'A' Group with Nos 6-20 Waterloo Place, Nos 1-29 Waterloo Place, Waverleygate, Regent Bridge, Register House, Balmoral Hotel and 5-43 Leith Street.

The tenements that now remain on the south side of Leith Street were built as upmarket flats on land feued by the magistrates to speculative builders from 1780 onwards. They are important as early examples of speculative tenement design in the New Town, for their continuity of frontage with 1-9 Waterloo Place, and also for their function providing a screen for the rear elevation of Waterloo Place. This building is also of value for its bowed elevation which creates an elegant termination to Leith Street and its junction with Calton Road.

In 1979-80, the buildings were repaired by Bamber, Gray and Partners.

The west side of Leith Street (demolished in 1965 to make way for the St James Centre) was known as Leith Street Terrace, and featured a pedestrian walkway/ terrace at first storey level, providing access to an upper tier of shops. The basis of this scheme was a design by Robert Adam in 1786; that which was built was a simplified version of Adam's designs (amended possibly by James Salisbury).

External Links

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