Description

Circa 1790; No 43 altered circa 1820, with major alterations and additions by John Henderson, 1851; consequently No 44 altered internally to suit. Formerly pair of 3-storey basement and attic, 3-bay terraced classical houses; facade of No 43 rebuilt 1851 in Tudor collegiate style and interiors altered to accommodate this.

NO 43: symmetrical 4-storey and basement 2-bay polished cream sandstone ashlar. Single flight of steps flanked by railings covers basement area. Facade framed by octagonal towers with crocketed pinnacles; panelled band course defines each storey; crenellated parapet with central finial; crenellations return to mutual stacks. At ground, Pair of Tudor-arched doorways divided by buttress; deep set folding doors with Perpendicular panelling. Upper floors with 4-light timber windows of diminishing height with cusped heads filling each bay (transoms to 1st and 2nd floors).

Coursed rubble rear elevation; 3-storey and attic, 3-bay; extended at ground to office to rear. Piend-roofed dormer to right; skylight and stair light to left; grey slates.

12-pane timber sash and case windows to rear.

INTERIOR: ground floor serves as lobby to modern office block built to rear (formerly church); no access to upper floors, but spiral stair to basement. massively rebuilt in 1851 with simple gothic plasterwork, including rib-vaulted lobby and subsequently considerably altered for office use. Nevertheless plan of former house still evident, with apsidal-ended Dining Room (simple moulded cornice survives above suspended ceiling), and transverse curving stair at centre (removed). Upper floors accessed individually from stair of No 44, with slappings through party wall; staircase niche made good as room with cornices at each floor; earlier cornices generally survive/made good; front wall of great depth (Gothic facade literally applied). At 1st floor, alterations circa 1820; 2 rooms to front; W room with white marble chimneypiece with reeded quadrant corrners and carved panels, veined marble slips incorporated and cast-iron register grate; E room with black slate neo-Greek chimneypiece, and double doors to rear room (now partitioned off). Rear room with Ionic screen (partition behind) and brown and grey marble Gothick chimneypiece; fluted corniced doorpieces.

NO 44: 3-storey basement and attic 3-bay; now a shop at basement, ground and 1st floor. Droved Craigleith sandstone ashlar (cleaned) with polished dressings. Channelled rustication at ground; long and short quoins. Regular fenestration; windows with moulded architraves to 1st and 2nd floors; corniced at 1st floor. Tripartite doorpiece to left with quarter engaged Roman Doric columns, fluted frieze and dentilled cornice; decorative metal fanlight. Bowed slate-hung piend-roofed dormer to right, pair of Velux windows to left; stair light.

Coursed rubble 4-storey 2-bay rear elevation with full-height bow to right. Later dry-dashed flat-roofed small 2-storey extension to right. Venetian windows to left at (ground?) 1st (partly blocked) and 2nd floors, tripartite at 3rd.

Timber sash and case 12-pane windows (lower sash plate glass at ground). Ashlar coped mutual skews; substantial dressed stone mutual stacks; grey slates.

INTERIOR: flagged Entrance Hall with enriched ceiling (3 panels with husks and bows - quatrefoil at centre) and 20th century timber dado and doorpieces; top-lit curving cantilevered stair on axis, ascends to attic, with plain square iron banisters (note blocked basket-arched doorway. Door to right to shop at ground, 1st floor and basement. Basement with access from area, but also from shop via original tiled stair (continues line of main stair). Shop considerably altered; added straight flight of stairs to 1st floor with wrought-iron banister; front room at ground with very large fine carved chimneypiece; fluted Corinthian pilasters with urns, fluted frieze and central panel enriched with gesso mouldings (partly submerged in raised platform). Cupola enriched with swagged husks and frieze with griffons and anthemiae; double pitch skylight.

Statement of Interest

A significant surviving part of the original fabric of Edinburgh's New Town, one of the most important and best preserved examples of urban planning in Britain; Queen Street was built to take advantage of the northern views, and has survived remarkably unaltered to this day. Both houses were acquired by St Luke's Free Church, and the church was built in their gardens, No 43 effectively being used as a gatehouse. The church was later used as St Andrew's Parish Church halls, when the congregations combined. It was demolished in 1978, and replaced by a new office block.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17576690

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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