Description

Probably John Lessels, 1872-92. Extensive terrace, comprising unified façade of 3-storey attics and basements, astylar Renaissance townhouses with main-door and common stair flats behind; later additions to attic. 4-bay advanced corner block to N, recessed, curved end bay, with 3-bay return to Rothesay Terrace. Basement area to street including some vaulted cellars and retaining walls. Sandstone ashlar, droved ashlar to basement, channelled ashlar to ground floor. Entrance platts oversailing basement. Base course at ground floor. Banded cill course at 1st floor. String course between windows at corner block. Banded cill course to 2nd floor, bracketed windows to centre. Corniced eaves course. Parapet stepped and balustraded. Timber 4-panel doors with corniced and bracketed round arched doorways, plain fanlights to centre. Architraved bracketed and pedimented tripartite windows at 1st floor, some blind windows to advanced corner block. Later rectangular dormers to Nos. 50 and 52; segmental arched dormers and prominent corniced wallhead chimney stack with integrated window to corner block. Cast-iron balconies on scrolled brackets to 1st floor windows

Predominantly plate glass in timber sash and case. Double pitch M-section roof; grey slates. Corniced ashlar gable, ridge and wallhead stacks with modern clay cans. Cast-iron railings on sandstone coping stone edging basement recess to street. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: interior typified by highly decorative classical scheme with detailed cornicing throughout ground and 1st floors. Converted for later office and residential use (2008).

Statement of Interest

Manor Place is a well-detailed example of the urban design of John Lessels, and contains a number of features characteristic of later Victorian design, such as the pedimented tripartite 1st floor windows. The curved corner bay to Rothesay Terrace is also an unusual and prominent piece contribution to the streetscape. The original design by Brown was carried out very slowly due to the protracted feuing of the land and these later parts of the street were built to Lessels' own designs, in a steady transition away from the Brown designs as you move northwards.

John Lessels (1809 - 1883) was engaged in a number of urban design schemes throughout his career, and worked on other parts of the Walker Estate, notably at Coates Crescent and Melville crescent. 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.)

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17794351

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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