Southern Wing, Central Electricity Generating Station, 3 Dewar Place, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Entry Name: Southern Wing, Central Electricity Generating Station, 3 Dewar Place, Edinburgh

Listing Name: 2 Dewar Place, Scottish Power Offices, Formerly Central Electricity Lighting Station Including Boundary Walls, Gates and Gatepiers

Listing Date: 23 March 2001

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 395066

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB47721

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200395066

Location: Edinburgh

County: Edinburgh

Town: Edinburgh

Electoral Ward: City Centre

Traditional County: Midlothian

Tagged with: Architectural structure

Description

Robert Morham, 1894 with Professor Alexander Kennedy as consulting engineer; extended 1897/8, further modern additions. 2- and 3-storey with basement and attic, 14-bay (grouped 3-6-3-2), Italian palazzo style former power station. Coursed red sandstone ashlar. Raised voussoirs and quoins to windows in 9-bays to left; keystones; cill course; dividing band course, blocking course; balustrade to 9 bays to left.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 3-bay group to outer left. Arched entrance at centre; decorative iron gates; corrugated-iron covering opening; recessed lunette window; tripartite window at 1st floor with column mullions; paired fluted pilasters. 2-light arched windows flanking at ground; aprons; column mullions; transoms; single windows aligned at 1st floor above. Balustrade broken at centre by single window aedicule; round-headed pediment. 6-bay group. Pedimented entrance porch to outer right with 2-leaf timber door; fanlight; keystone; diocletian window aligned above. 2-light window at 1st floor; columnar mullion. Remaining bays comprise small basement opening at pavement level; 2-light window at ground; columnar mullion; apron; diocletian window; 2-light window at 1st floor; columnar mullion. 3-bay group to right. Arched 2-light window at centre; roundell; flanking arched windows at ground. Regular fenestration to 1st and 2nd floors; architraves at 1st floor.

2-bay group to outer right. Blocked opening to right; single architraved window at 1st floor; single window at 2nd floor. 2-light windows at ground, 1st and 2nd floors in bay to left; architraved at 1st floor. Bartizan tower to outer right comprises 3-light mullioned window; scrolled pediment; roundell; square-blocked rusticated columns; finialed dome.

S ELEVATION: 4-bay. Vehicular entrance at outer right; 3-light window at 1st; flanking consoles; 2-pairs of 2-light windows at 2nd floor. Consoled corniced doorpiece to right of centre; single windows at 1st and 2nd floors. Regular fenestration in 2 bays to left, architraved at 1st floor; plaque dated 1898 replaces fenestration in outer-left bay at 2nd floors. Bartizan tower to outer left.

N ELEVATION: coursed sandstone ashlar to W; brick to E. 11 bays grouped 8-3. Arched entrance at left in recessed 3-bays to right; steps to 2-leaf timber and glass doors; single window at 1st floor. Arched windows at ground; single windows at 1st floor in 2 bays to right. Central pedimented aedicule; vouissored oculus within. Large corbelled arched windows at ground in advanced brick 8-bay to left; single windows at 1st floor. Replacement fenestration in 5 bays to left. Venetian entrance doorway under arch in 3rd bay from right. Flat roofed brick extension in 5th bay to outer right.

NW ELEVATION (re-entrant angle): 3-bay. Large arched window at centre; flanking architraved single windows; single windows to all bays at 2nd floor; stepped pediment; single window within.

E ELEVATION: predominantly brick; sandstone rubble to near right.

6-bay block to right comprises brick 3-bay pedimented block to outer right; 3 bay rubble block to left. Brick block comprises iron external staircase rising diagonally from left to right; steps to door at outer right and single window to left at ground. 2-leaf door to left to 1st floor; 2 Diocletian windows to right. Door to outer right at 2nd floor; 2 single windows to left. Bull's eye window in gablehead. Square central entrance at ground in rubble block; large rectangular window at 2nd floor. Flanking single windows at all floors; window to right at ground blocked; arched windows at 1st floor.

2 gabled brick machinery sheds; semi-circular windows. Harled modern addition to right. Steps to outer left.

L-plan brick block to outer left; vehicular entrance at re-entrant angle.

Much replacement to small-paned fenestration. Grey slate piended roof.

INTERIOR: some decorative plasterwork to S offices; turbine house subdivided for offices.

BOUNDARY WALLS, PIERS AND GATES: Brick wall to N; coped brick piers to vehicular entrance; iron gates.

Statement of Interest

Supply commenced from the site in 1897 with an initial installation of 400 h.p., of D. C. machines. The site is split into 3 sections; workshops to the N; offices to the S; the electricity station itself to the centre. Keith Lumsdaine notes in SCOTTISH POWER (1995) that some of the original cables are still in service. In 1963 the station was revived with the first 275/33 kV, 120 MVA, super grid station being installed in a city centre. Supplying it from Kaimes entailed the laying of about five miles of twin circuit 275kV cable, the longest length in the country at that time.

External Links

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