Description

1909, altered at ground. 3-storey and attic, 7-bay tenement with arcade and shops at ground with French 2nd Empire details and corner tower. Red sandstone and rubble with sandstone quoins. Ground floor cornice, moulded dividing course, cill course to centre and outer left bays, and eaves course. Architraved and bracketed windows; keystone (obscured), stone mullions and chamfered arrises.

S (HIGH STREET) ELEVATION: slightly advanced centre bay with segmental- pedimented and keystoned arcade entrance with fluted pilasters, scroll brackets and floreate detail to spandrels; 2 shops to right of centre flanking pilastered pend entrance with deep fanlight, and modern shop with centre door to left. 1st floor with tripartite window to centre, 3 windows to right and 2 windows to left with canted tripartite window to outer left corner. Similar fenestration to 2nd floor but with ball-finialled, scroll bracketed pediment and French pavilion roof breaking eaves over centre tripartite window; 2-storey canted corner bay to left over ground floor cornice as orielled tower, with panelled frieze and small bellcast polygonal roof, decorative cast-iron weathervane. 2 modern rooflights to left of centre and 2 unsympathetic timber dormer windows to right.

Plate glass glazing in timber sash and case windows to 1st floor left and 2nd floor centre; modern glazing elsewhere. Grey slates, fish- scale pattern to pavilion and bellcast roofs. Coped ashlar and rubble gable and ridge stacks (that to left of centre truncated) with some cans. Ashlar coped skews and moulded skewputts.

INTERIOR: enamel glazed tiles to close.

Statement of Interest

The arcade (not included in this listing) to the rear of Wemyss Buildings allowed covered access for transporting linen from the former Abbotshall Mill to the High Street. The Mill was built by Robert Wemyss in 1860, but he moved to new premises in 1898. In July 1909 the Wemyss Factory was converted into a 'roller skate rink' for Mr A Painter; a drawing bearing this date shows the arch with decorative keystone and spandrels, possibly that hidden by modern fascia boards.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77771930

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

• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)