Description

Peter L Henderson, 1899. 3-storey and attic, 5-bay, symmetrical, Free Renaissance style with French influence, former department store (now shop to ground floor only, 2007) with arcaded 1st floor and distinctive steep roofline. Polished ashlar. String course, dentilled cornice.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: central canted recessed entrance doorway to ground with timber and glass swing entrance doors. Some decorative iron mullions. Cornice.

Upper storeys with narrow strip pilasters dividing bays. Central 3 bays to 1st storey with segmental-arched, dentilled and key-stoned window openings with nook-shafts. Flanking small, round-arched window openings. 3-light windows to 2nd storey with stone mullions. Central gablet with semi-circular arched moulded window; flanking cat-slide 2-light dormers. Decorative iron brattishing to steep French pavilion roof.

Predominantly plate glass timber fixed and casement windows; sash and case to dormers. Plate glass to shop at ground. Grey slates. Raised skews.

INTERIOR: (seen 2007). Good, with original room plan and layout largely extant. Fine decorative plaster ceilings to ground floor with geometric and floral patterns. Decorative dentilled cornicing. Fluted Corinthian style columns to ground floor with simpler fluted columns to other floors. Open-well staircase with timber balusters and banister. Some decorative timber moulding to underside of stair.

Statement of Interest

This is a well-detailed purpose-built former department store, still in use as a shop and which adds considerably to the streetscape of the area. It is a good example of a medium-sized department store and it survives remarkably intact. The segmental-arched 1st storey windows which provide further advertising space for merchandise, especially visible from the upper deck of trams, are a particularly fine feature of the building, together with the steeply pitched roof. The shop is notable for its retention of considerable interior detailing, especially the decorative plaster ceilings.

A dated drawing of 1899 shows the street elevation with arcaded transoms and decorated mullions to the shop at ground and it is possible that these survive under the later timber boarding and fascia. An earlier, 19th century advertisement depicts the 'South-side Emporium' at this address, although this is shown with an earlier building, which the one of 1899 replaced.

Peter Henderson (1848-1912) was an Edinburgh based architect who was also an engineer. His output included a number of breweries in the area, as well as other, mostly public buildings.

List description revised as part of the Edinburgh Holyrood Ward resurvey 2007-8.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17799459

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)