Latitude: 55.9521 / 55°57'7"N
Longitude: -3.1956 / 3°11'44"W
OS Eastings: 325438
OS Northings: 673872
OS Grid: NT254738
Mapcode National: GBR 8NF.6V
Mapcode Global: WH6SL.WNGF
Plus Code: 9C7RXR23+RQ
Entry Name: Police Call Box, Princes Street, Edinburgh
Listing Name: Princes Street at Royal Scottish Academy, Police Box
Listing Date: 10 August 1990
Category: B
Source: Historic Scotland
Source ID: 371052
Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB30243
Building Class: Cultural
Also known as: Edinburgh, Princes Street, Police Call Box
ID on this website: 200371052
Location: Edinburgh
County: Edinburgh
Town: Edinburgh
Electoral Ward: City Centre
Traditional County: Midlothian
Tagged with: Police box
E.J.MacRae, 1930-31 (see Notes). Rectangular cast-iron police call box with classical details. Painted blue. 2-bay pilastered long elevations. Single bay elevations with open pediments containing ribboned wreath paterae. Plaque with city arms to door. Saltire glazing pattern to all elevations. Low-pitched roof.
This example of an Edinburgh police box is situated on a prominent site on Princes Street, close to the Royal Scottish Academy and the Mound. The Edinburgh police box adopts a Classical style to complement the city's classical architecture and while no longer in use for their original pupose, remain a distinctive feature of the city with significant historic and architectural value. Police boxes were introduced to Britain in the late 19th century and become widespread during the 1930's. During this later period, a standard design for Britain was introduced, although Edinburgh did not adopt this and instead the city architect, E J MacRae working with assistants A Rollo and J A Tweedie, designed the Edinburgh box. Each box was intended to serve as a "miniature police station" for officers on the beat with telephone, incident book, fire extinguisher and first-aid kit inside. The official objectives of the Police Box system included 'communicating information to or from the station' and 'preparing reports on occurrences.
List description revised as part of Edinburgh Holyrood Ward resurvey 2007-08.
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