Description

J Jerdan and Son, 1914. 2-storey and attic, harled villa with red tiled roof, arched doorway to E, circular bay to SE corner, canted bay to S, scullery outshot to NW corner, and later additions to NE and SW corners. Rubble base course to E elevation only. Plain window openings with sandstone cills.

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 2-leaf timber panelled door in arched roll-moulded tabbed architrave with prominent keystone; deep, bracketed open segmental pediment forming canopy above. Advanced circular bay around corner to left with cill-height battered random rubble base course. Late 20th century extension with bell-cast roof advanced to outer right.

S (PRINCIPAL/GARDEN) ELEVATION: Advanced 2-storey canted bay with rubble base course to centre; narrow half-glazed garden door to left return of bay at ground; cornicing above windows at both floors, and to cill of 1st floor window; tripartite, flat-roofed dormer to attic above. Bipartite windows at both floors to outer bays (ground-floor window to left is later addition); 1st floor windows breaking eaves with piend-roofed dormerheads. Advanced circular bay around corner to outer right (see above). Later outshot to SW corner with non-traditional sliding doors and tiled roof.

W (SIDE) ELEVATION: irregularly fenestrated gable with central buttress; gablehead stack; later piend-roofed addition to SW corner (see above) and single-storey 2-window scullery to outer left.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: irregularly fenestrated with large tripartite staircase window to left and flat-roofed dormers to attic. Scullery outshot to right with timber boarded doors to left return. Late twentieth century extension to outer right.

Predominantly 12- and 8-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Gablet-shouldered corniced stacks with red clay cans. Red tiles to roof, with red ridge tiles. Cast-iron downpipes.

INTERIOR: red tiled lobby with half-glazed timber panelled inner door. Canadian yellow pine staircase with turned balusters. Some original fireplaces. Original cornices to principal rooms. Timber panelled interior doors.

BOUNDARY WALL: low random rubble boundary wall supporting timber fence.

Statement of Interest

Formerly called Benarty House. The last of a row of 4 houses by Jerdan, on the N side of Spylaw Park (This house is on the corner of Spylaw Park and Pentland Road, with its entrance towards the latter street). The planning is very good, and is similar to the planning of the houses that Lorimer had built in Colinton at the turn of the century. The house is set back to the North of its site, so that the principal rooms and bedrooms can face South over the largest possible area of lawn. The staircase and bathrooms occupy the North elevation, and the rooms used by the servants faced West, and did not overlook the main part of the garden, thereby keeping it relatively private. The present South-facing kitchen window is a later alteration, and this part of wall was originally blind. The original kitchen window was to the West, which had the advantage of keeping the hot South sun out of the kitchen, which needed to be kept cool.

The architect of the house is almost certainly John Jerdan, who was the son of James Jerdan. James Jerdan worked as an assistant first with Wardrop and Reid, then with Rowand Anderson, and finally set up his own practice in about 1885. John Jerdan was apprenticed to his father, and later went to London, where he gained a place at the office of Aston Webb (who had the largest practice in Britain at that time). James Jerdan's health started to deteriorate in 1903, and his son was obliged to return to Edinburgh to continue his father's practice. The majority of John Jerdan's designs were for houses in fashionable suburbs like Colinton. He is known to have designed at least six houses in Colinton, of which this is one of the best. His houses tend to be fairly plain with roughcast walls, but usually have fairly elaborate entrance doorways, and nice Arts and Crafts details.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17803311

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

• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)